Census response crucial in growing county

<p>For fast-growing Johnson County, an accurate count of residents in the 2020 Census could mean an additional $2,710 per person in new funding for roads, schools, health care facilities and more.</p><p>A Census Bureau updated count taken in 2018 shows that the county’s population has grown by 18,312 since the 2010 census. With that count, Johnson County entities gained $49.6 million.</p><p>The per-person figure is based on the $17.9 billion in federal money that was distributed to Indiana from 55 federal programs in 2016, according to the Counting for Dollars study from George Washington University. This number does not account for millions more that is distributed from the state coffers to local municipalities based on population.</p><p>With new home permits being issued almost daily around the county, the population continues to grow as population-based revenues stay the same. Fast-growing towns such as Bargersville are eagerly awaiting the Census results and hoping that residents will respond, Town Manager Julie Young said.</p><p>In 2010 Bargersville had 5,967 residents, but in the updated count taken in 2018, the town had grown to 7,722. So far this year alone, the town has issued 36 new home permits. In 2019 the town issued 208 permits for homes that are now filled with new residents.</p><p>An accurate count would help inform growth in Bargersville, Young said.</p><p>“It is critical for us to have everyone counted in the Census,” Young said. “It is also important for us to know how we are doing overall. We know anecdotally we are growing, but without the number, we don’t know how much that is really.”</p><p>Franklin Mayor Steve Barnett hopes residents will “do their duty” in filling out the Census to make sure the city has enough money to support them. The updated count in 2018 measured the city’s population at 25,248, but Barnett expects that to be closer to 30,000 given an accurate 2020 count.</p><p>Among the many ways an accurate count can help the city, the most crucial is ensuring that Franklin police and fire departments have ample staff, Barnett said. Both departments have maximum staffing, according to the two per 1,000 resident formula the state uses. But both departments have to rely on overtime pay to adequately cover the city, he said.</p><p>With the public safety threat that COVID-19 presents, the need for more firefighters is especially clear, Barnett said. He estimates the department is three to six employees short of the staffing needed to eliminate the need for overtime.</p><p>“They are put in a difficult situation with coronavirus. We are being very careful with how we interact with the public,” Barnett said. “If some of them get down [with coronavirus] in a small city like this, we are in trouble.”</p><p>For small towns such as Prince’s Lakes, population 1,342, every dollar and every resident’s response counts, said Clerk-Treasurer Erica Lyden-Geiger. With more young families moving into town, Prince’s Lakes is is holding out hope that growth is accurately recorded, she said.</p><p>With an accurate count, small towns such as Prince’s Lakes have a better chance at grant funding based on population, Lyden-Geiger said. For example, public works projects depend on grant funds to off-set rate and tax increases, she said.</p><p>“Those numbers are very important to make sure that we get the proper funding,” Lyden-Geiger said. “Sometimes we haven’t received grants for things because we didn’t have the right number of people.”</p><p>According to the Census Bureau, an accurate count also influences:</p><p><ul><li>Political representation, determining everything from the number of U.S. Representatives who will represent Indiana to how many will sit on city and town councils;</li><li>Grants for community organizations that impact quality of life, such as hospitals, mental healthcare facilities and nonprofits are based on the population of the community served;</li><li>Economic development, as businesses use Census data to determine if there are enough employees and patrons to find success in the community.</li></ul></p><p>County residents, with their response to the Census, will determine what resources the community has available to serve them.</p><p>As of Friday, 34% of Johnson County residents had responded to the U.S. Census, which is a slightly better response rate than Hoosiers overall, with 31% responding, according to the Census Bureau.</p><p>In a normal year, Census takers would be knocking on doors in a few short weeks, but with COVID-19, the bureau has moved back the home visit campaign to the end of May. Census takers will knock on doors from May to July, with a goal of counting everyone in the United States by July 31.</p>[sc:pullout-title pullout-title="How to complete the Census" ][sc:pullout-text-begin]<p>Here is a look at ways your family can complete the Census:</p><p>Households have several options: phone, online or a printed survey. No matter which option you chose, have your Census ID code ready. Census IDs appear in a blue box on letters that were sent to all U.S. households in the past few weeks.</p><p>To take the Census online, visit <a href="http://my2020census.gov/">my2020census.gov/</a>. The online questionnaire must be completed in one sitting.</p><p>To take the Census by phone, call 844-330-2020. Phone lines are open every day from 7 a.m. to 2 a.m. EST.</p><p>Households that do not complete the Census online or by phone should have received a paper copy in the mail in mid-March.</p>[sc:pullout-text-end]