Title
Special Recognition - 2020 Census
Recommended Action
Committee Recommendation:
Not referred to a committee.
City Manager Recommendation:
Recognize the 2020 U.S Decennial Census
Report
Issue:
Recognize the 2020 Census and bring public awareness to Census Day on April 1st.
Staff Contact:
Tim Smith, Planning & Engineering Manager, Community Planning & Development, 360.570.3915.
Presenter(s):
Keith Stahley, Interim Assistant City Manager
Background and Analysis:
The US Constitution requires that a complete count or census of the nation’s population be conducted every ten years. The census is used for a variety of purposes including determining the number of representatives each State has in congress and distributing federal funds to local communities each year. By April 2020, households will receive an invitation in the mail to participate in the census. Citizens will have three options to respond: online, by phone or by mail. April 1 is Census Day and is a key date for the 2020 count - when completing the census, citizens will note where they are living on April 1.
The U.S. Census Bureau has asked local communities to form Complete Count Committees to help reach residents who are hard to count. Thurston Regional Planning Council is coordinating the Thurston Region Complete Count Committee for Thurston County. The Complete Count Committee has been working with local organizations and the media to inform residents about Census 2020, encourage participation and ensure survey success.
The City of Olympia has also applied for outreach and education funds made available through the State Office of Financial Management. The funds would support the City’s planned efforts to engage local businesses, non-profit organizations and service providers within the community about the census. Outreach efforts will be primarily focused on reaching groups that represent “trusted messengers” within the LGBTQ community, racial and ethnic minorities, non-English speaking residents, people with limited internet access, and homeless or street dependent populations. To reach these targeted populations, the City intends to conduct training sessions with City staff including the customer service team, business and economic development ambassadors and the homeless response team to distribute printed informational flyers about the census.
The City has selected two locations to set up census kiosks where individuals with limited internet access can complete the census survey (Olympia City Hall and the Olympia Center). The kiosk locations will be available to the public during business hours from April through June.
Attachments:
None