The first meeting of the Cole County/Jefferson City Census Complete Count Committee will take place next month.
The first CCC meeting will be at 9 a.m. Jan. 13 at Jefferson City Hall, 320 E. McCarty St., local officials announced Wednesday.
The committee's goal is to increase the accuracy of the 2020 Census count in Jefferson City and other municipalities, as well as unincorporated portions of Cole County.
The CCC will consist of local government representatives, community service providers, faith-based organizations, school districts, community groups and health care providers. So far there are 11 members on the committee, with plans to add more.
"We want to make sure everyone is counted in our African American community, our immigrant community and among college students because there is sometimes ambivalence to participating in the Census among those groups," said the Rev. Cassandra Gould, executive director of Missouri Faith Voices. "We have to show them that they can trust the messenger and be willing to participate."
"The Census is important for the economic impact it can have on our community and what we can do with those dollars," said Tiffany Rutledge, community coordinator for Capital Region Medical Center.
The hope is by getting the most accurate count possible, Cole County and Jefferson City will get their fair share in federal funds to aid in transportation needs, housing assistance and rehabilitation loans, as well as funds for emergency response as needed.
"When we know how many people live in our communities, our organizations and businesses are better equipped to evaluate services and programs needed to serve them," Cole County Presiding Commissioner Sam Bushman said.
This will be the first time residents can fill out Census forms online. Forms may also be submitted by mail and telephone.
"We have even better opportunities than we did a decade ago to get the message out about the need to participate in the Census thanks to the internet," Jefferson City Mayor Carrie Tergin said. "We have to make sure in the areas that have been under counted that they know they have other opportunities to participate in the Census."
Between March 12 -20, all households will receive an invitation to participate in the 2020 Census online, by phone, or via paper questionnaire. In May 2020, census takers will begin visiting homes that haven't responded to the 9-question 2020 Census to help ensure everyone is counted.
In August, Census officials said Cole County has a participation rate six times higher than the national participation average. However, there were some areas where they'd like to increase the response rate. Renters, students, immigrants and citizens older than 62 are the least likely populations to be represented in the Census.
"We have a lot of people living in our community who are no longer at a residence because it was damaged or destroyed in the May 22 tornado, so we have to address that issue," Bushman said.
The Census address canvassing process is already underway, so residents may see Census workers in the community. Census workers can be identified by their official identification badges with their name and photo. Census workers also carry an official bag that displays the U.S. Census Bureau seal. To confirm if a person works as a neighborhood canvasser, visit census.gov/staffsearch.
One particular area the CCC will address is to assure residents that answering the questions on the Census questionnaire is safe. By law, the Census Bureau cannot share answers with anyone, not even another government agency. Census workers will never ask for a Social Security number, bank account or credit card numbers. They do not solicit donations, promise gifts or ask residents to pay money to complete the Census. The Census Bureau will not contact a person by email or phone.
The CCC also wants to raise awareness of paid temporary employment during the 2020 Census. Interested individuals can apply at 2020census.gov/jobs.
This article was edited at 4:10 p.m. Dec. 18, 2019, to clarify that there are nine questions on the census form.