Title
Consider approving Resolution No. 2019-49 creating a Census 2020 Complete Count Committee to assist with planning and implementing local outreach efforts and community awareness; and take appropriate action
Body
BACKGROUND:
Census figures are the basis for defining our federal, state and local political districts. Census figures also fuel medical, economic and social research on communities, and inform much of our local infrastructure planning and decision-making processes. Perhaps most importantly, the data play a crucial role in determining how more than $800 billion of federal funding is distributed and allocated annually across state and local governments.
DISCUSSION:
The City Council approved Resolution No. 2018-59, supporting the U.S. Census Bureau 2020. Federal and State funding is allocated to communities based on census data. The purpose of a proposed Ad Hoc Complete Count Committee (CCC) is to provide community outreach and help encourage citizens to provide accurate counts of all people within the city limits.
CCCs will look different in every city. Large cities may have dozens of members with several different subcommittees. Smaller cities may only have 3 to 5 members, representing the local school, church and community development organizations. At the highest level, the goals of every CCC are the same: identify Hard to Count (HTC) populations in the community, develop strategies to increase their likelihood of participation, and conduct outreach to those communities through trusted voices, whether that is faith-based institutions, immigrants’ rights groups, or local service providers and business leaders.
Resolution 2019-49 provides for the creation of a six-member Complete Count Committee consisting of one-member from each council district and the Mayor as committee chair.
ATTACHMENT(S):
1. Resolution No. 2018-59
2. NLC Municipal Action Guide - Preparing for the 2020 Census
3. Resolution No. 2019-49