In case you haven’t heard, there’s a census going on. And in that regard, the Bryan County Board of Commissioners recently noted their partnership with the Georgia Complete Count Committee, a group formed to ensure the state population is accurately counted during the 2010 census.
Said Bryan County Chairman Jimmy Burnsed: “We are elected to serve Bryan County, and we are dedicated to ensuring everyone understands the importance of participating in the 2010 census.”
Some may ask ‘what is so important about it?’
In a word, it’s power.
People power.
The federal government distributes about $400 billion annually to state, local and tribal governments based on census data. And officials use the information to decide when and where to build roads, hospitals, etc. The census count also determines how many seats each state has in the U.S. House of Representatives.
The inferences are obvious. The more people in a community, the more it counts in the eyes of the government when it’s time to fork over federal or state dollars. Or when projects are planned. In other words, the more people in a community, the more funding it gets for infrastructure and other necessities. That’s why officials hope to reach everyone in Georgia, which also means reaching everyone in Bryan County. And since census information is confidential and can’t be shared with anyone, including law enforcement agencies, there’s little reason not to be counted, unless of course one simply doesn’t want to count.
Said Bryan County Chairman Jimmy Burnsed: “We are elected to serve Bryan County, and we are dedicated to ensuring everyone understands the importance of participating in the 2010 census.”
Some may ask ‘what is so important about it?’
In a word, it’s power.
People power.
The federal government distributes about $400 billion annually to state, local and tribal governments based on census data. And officials use the information to decide when and where to build roads, hospitals, etc. The census count also determines how many seats each state has in the U.S. House of Representatives.
The inferences are obvious. The more people in a community, the more it counts in the eyes of the government when it’s time to fork over federal or state dollars. Or when projects are planned. In other words, the more people in a community, the more funding it gets for infrastructure and other necessities. That’s why officials hope to reach everyone in Georgia, which also means reaching everyone in Bryan County. And since census information is confidential and can’t be shared with anyone, including law enforcement agencies, there’s little reason not to be counted, unless of course one simply doesn’t want to count.