About $675 billion in state and federal funding is distributed to communities each year based on population, say county officials.
And how government officials decide who gets what amount is guided by the U.S. Census each year.
No one likes seeing their property tax rates go up. The citizens of Mount Airy were quite vocal when the city Board of Commissioners announced a rise from 48 cents to 60 cents per $100 in valued property a couple of years ago.
Local government officials have also discussed the possibility of things like increasing the local sales tax or the local occupancy tax as ways to generate more revenue.
One way to increase revenues without much of a hit to the wallet is to get more state and federal support. And that can be done by proving just how many people live in this county.
The census figures are important to the government, explained Nathan Walls, assistant county manager.
There are 100 counties in the state, and the census affects how the N.C. General Assembly splits up state funding for things like roads, schools and emergency funding, according to Walls. This also happens with federal funding.
“It can increase our representation in Raleigh,” Walls said, referring to how the House of Representatives is made up in the General Assembly.
It also affects the U.S. House of Representatives in Congress. There are 435 seats in the House, but only 13 come from North Carolina. New York and Florida have 27 each, and California has 53.
A full count of every single North Carolinian could show that this state has a higher population and deserves more representatives.
Right now, the county manager’s office believes the response rate to filling out the census is only around 55%.
This is higher than a lot of other counties across the state, said Walls, but he said “We should do the best we can as a county.” He reminded that filling out the census is something that is required by law.
But, he added, this form is the easiest yet. With the way the online forms are done or even the toll-free phone calls, people can be finished in 5-10 minutes.
At the start of the year, the county had ideas of using local events to help spread the word about the census. However with COVID-19 postponing or canceling many festivals and events, those opportunities disappeared.
Census workers have already reached out to places such as senior centers, prisons and colleges to make sure everyone is counted, Walls said.
Now the county is asking the community to help get on board. Walls said the staff hopes that pastors will speak to their congregations and civic groups will get involved.
There are benefits to the whole county, such as affecting school funding and possibly reducing the local tax burden that folks should know
For those who still need to file, the website is 2020census.gov, or the toll-free number is 1-844-330-2020.
While the coronavirus has impacted how census workers can go out in the field, Walls said people will be doing field interviews at home Aug. 11 to Oct. 31 for addresses that haven’t responded.
Source: https://www.mtairynews.com
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