Marching forward with the census

Even in the midst of a global pandemic, the United States census is moving forward. As of Sunday, Iowa as a whole has seen a 60.6% response rate to the decennial count.

'The more people who fill out the census, the better it will be,” Kristi Ray, executive vice president of the Mt. Pleasant Area Chamber Alliance, said.

Ray, who is part of Henry County's Complete Count Committee, said the group helps to get the word out about the census. The group aims to educate locals about the importance of participating and puts out more personalized pamphlets to residents about the census.

'Last census we were around 70%, which they thought was good. But it still falls short of what you want. We truly want everyone counted … it should be better since everyone is sitting at home with nothing to do,” Ray said of how self-isolation during the coronavirus outbreak may help numbers.

Currently, in the Tri-County area, Washington County's response rate clocks in at just above the state average at 61.2%, while Henry County has seen a 60.9% response rate and Jefferson County is at 56.2%, according to the official US Census website.

Though the census is organized and run on a federal level, many towns and cities also put together campaigns to encourage residents to do their part and get counted.

Aaron Kooiker, city administrator for the city of Fairfield, said at a city level, the census mostly affects the Road Use Tax, which determines how much funding a town gets to build and rehabilitate roads.

'The state gives us money back through the Department of Transportation for public roadways. It's one of three funds that funds our Street Department,” Kooiker explained.

Beyond road taxes, the census also determines congressional seats, the redrawing of legislative districts based on population and grant opportunities.

'Proper count is important. It affects representation at the state house and representation at the congressional level,” Brent Hinson, Washington's city administrator, added. Hinson added the city is expecting to see a 'modest” change in numbers at the conclusion of the count, probably a plus or minus within the hundred people range.

'In rural Iowa, any move toward a positive direction, even just an increase of several people, you're doing way better than the average. It signals that ‘hey as a community, we're headed in the right direction'” Hinson said.

A county's population can also have an affect on its ability to attract businesses to the area.

'A lot of your commercial companies decide where to go based on population. People always ask me, ‘why can't we get Starbucks or Jimmy Johns?' When they look at us, the first thing they look at is population. We're at 8,952 right now. Some places won't look until we hit 10,000,” Ray explained.

Illa Earnest, the city clerk for Washington, said like many other cities, Washington is posting information about the census on their website. The city clerk also noted residents should have received information from the Census Bureau in March with information on how to respond by phone, mail or online.

'It's very important for people to respond. It doesn't take long at all, and the questions are not particularly invasive. It's a quick process, but they need to keep track of their card with the 12-digit number,” Earnest said.