Georgia near lowest in Census completion
BY ERIC PEREIRA
The following article was printed in the Sept. 16, 2020 edition of The Northeast Georgian. Scroll to the bottom to see the printed publication.
Georgia continues at nearly the bottom ranking for U.S. Census completion and officials at all levels continue to urge residents to complete their 2020 Census which is Constitutionally mandated.
As of Sept. 13, Georgia’s total enumerated response was 84.7% which ranks the state at 48th as of Tuesday according to online response rate rankings, including Puerto Rico and the District of Columbia.
This includes self-response as well as Census workers having to follow up.
Habersham County’s self response rate was 61% as of Tuesday according to maps provided on 2020census.gov. Of that response, 44.8% were completed online. The 2010 completion rate for Habersham County was 58.5%.
The Gainesville Area Census Office, which includes Habersham County, is currently at 60 - 84.9% for nonresponse workload follow up completion.
Will Powell, Media Specialist for the Atlanta Regional Census Center Powell said the last day to self-respond to the 2020 Census online, by phone, or by mail is Sept. 30, 2020.
“Georgia is currently one of the lowest-ranking states as it pertains to total enumeration rates, which mean the state can lose a congressional seat and federal funding for essential services including Medicare, school lunch programs, roads, infrastructure and much more,” Powell said. “It’s important that every Habersham County resident is included in the 2020 Census in order to receive its fair share of funding.”
He confirmed that Census takers are currently knocking on doors of households to those who have not yet responded to the 2020 Census. They can be identified with a valid government ID badge with their photograph, U.S. Department of Commerce watermark, and an expiration date on the badge, Powell added.
Workers are also taking precautions due to the COVID-19 pandemic. “Census takers are also required to wear a mask, conduct interviews outside and practice social distancing. If a census taker knocks on the door, it is safe for individuals to cooperate,” Powell said.
Computers are available at the Clarkesville and Cornelia libraries to complete a Census. Both libraries advise (but don’t require) wearing a mask.
County Manager Phil Sutton said the U.S. Census has set up an information booth at the Ruby Fulbright Aquatic Center.
FUNDING THE COMMUNITY
Local officials in Habersham County commented on some of the funding provided by information from the constitutionally mandated U.S. Census.
“It’s critically important we get an accurate count,” Sutton said. “State representation is based on that, state and local level for elected officials … it has tremendous affect on the grant funding we receive.”
He said grant funding is second greatest source of funding for Habersham county. Over the last five years the county received $33 million in grant funding for roads, bridges and, public safety among other things according to Sutton.
Cities like Cornelia do not receive any funding directly by the Census, but the information provided by it proves to be important according to City Manager Dee Anderson.
“Since other revenue sources are tied to population, the Census is extremely important,” Anderson said. “Examples would be the LMIG(Local Maintenance and Improvement Grant) funding from GDOT for paving which is based on population and road mileage.
Another would be the SPLOST (Special Purpose Local Operation Sales Tax) since the county and some of the other cities want the revenue to be split by population.”
Mt. Airy Police Chief and Town Manager Tim Jarrell echoed that various formulas are used in distributing grant funds from population information gathered by the Census.
“It helps us make decisions about how funds are distributed and allocated. Not only for the municipalities but also our school systems,” said Mt.Airy Police Chief and Town Manager Tim Jarrell.
Habersham Schools Superintendent Matthew Cooper said there are several federal programs that benefit students. One of the largest programs is Title I.
“This program helps schools that have a large proportion of students living in poverty,” Cooper said. “These Title I funds help reduce class sizes, provide quality instructional programs, and boost teacher quality in the classrooms.
“Our system also has more than 2,000 students who benefit from much needed federal special education grants.”
Cooper mentioned Census information also being used for decisions based on the National School Lunch Program. “Many of our students eat their two best meals of the day at school,” he said. “The National School Lunch program benefits our students both physically and academically. As superintendent, I urge our citizens to participate in the 2020 Census.”
