With 2010 U.S. Census forms expected in local mailboxes in the coming weeks, some Gloucester city officials are working to ensure the city gets a "complete count."
An ad-hoc City Council "Complete Count" committee headed by new Ward 1 Councilor Paul McGeary and at-large Councilor Robert Whynott is hosting a kickoff session today at 1:30 p.m. at City Hall.
The idea is simple: to spread the word that the new 2010 Census forms will be arriving in the second or third week of March, and that all residents should participate.
"We're just looking to make people aware that the Census is coming — and to make sure people know that this is important," said McGeary, who serves as chairman of the ad-hoc panel with Whynott, who retired last year as city clerk, as vice chairman.
In addition to the two councilors and Mayor Carolyn Kirk, the kickoff event will include Michaela Duffy of Congressman John Tierney's office; Zoi D. Kalaitzidis, regional Census bureau assistant manager; and U.S. Census officials Nancy Gilbert and Arthur Bakis.
McGeary noted that the Census carries significant weight when it comes to the city and state's federal funding, and it carries other impacts as well.
Among other things, the Census determines the number of congressional seats each state gets in Congress, and there is speculation that Massachusetts may lose a congressional seat if its population shows a significant drop compared to the last Census, carried out in 2000.
"There are actually a lot of mixed signals," McGeary said, "but we're hoping that, if we do get a complete count, that won't be the case."
McGeary said special efforts will be put into gaining support from the traditional "undercount" — the segments of the city and state's population that can easily be missed.
That not only includes the traditional homeless population, but also residents who might be staying with friends and relatives, or new immigrants who don't know what the Census is all about and may be wary of being identified, he said.
"One important point is that the Census has nothing to do with immigration status," McGeary said. "Federal aid is not apportioned or based on citizenship. We're just looking to get a count of how many people live here. And we need people's willingness and support."
McGeary said some estimates show the city and state combined can lose up to $2,000 in federal aid for every individual who is not counted.
To that end, the city's ad-hoc committee is targeting local businesses, social service agencies, government agencies and church groups to reach out to residents who may otherwise be missed.
Aside from impacting the congressional lineup and federal aid allocations, the federal Census is also now the official count used to determine which Massachusetts communities are eligible to pursue and open charter schools — with Gloucester hovering right around the 30,000 breaking point.
McGeary also noted that the U.S. Census is separate from another population survey that is also coming down the pike in the weeks ahead. That's the annual city census, designed to keep tabs on Gloucester's voting rolls.
"This is different," McGeary said of the federal survey. "This is once every 10 years — and we want to get it complete, and right."
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