By County Judge Ronnie McDonald

The 2010 Census is about to get under way and I would like to make sure that Bastrop County is counted. The census is intended to be a snapshot of the nation and thus a snapshot of Bastrop County as well.

It is much simpler this time around, with only ten questions.

All U.S. residents must be counted whether they are citizens or non citizens. It will only take a few minutes of your time and will enable Bastrop County to provide more services for our citizens. Questionnaires will be sent out in March 2010 either by USPS or hand delivery. Some people in remote rural areas will be counted in person.

Constitution

The US Constitution requires a national census once every 10 years to count the population and determine the number of seats each state will have in the US House of Representatives. Additionally, Bastrop County will receive $4 in federal funding for each individual counted in the census.*

These funds will be used to help with the many needs of the county and will determine federal fund allocations for community services such as school lunch programs and senior citizen centers and new construction such as highways and hospitals.

Census data will also be used to determine locations for retail stores, schools, hospitals, new housing developments and other community facilities.

By law the Census Bureau cannot share an individual’s responses with anyone, including other federal agencies and law enforcement entities.

Households should complete and mail back their questionnaires upon receipt. Census Day is April 1, 2010. Households that do not respond may receive a replacement questionnaire in early April. Census takers will visit households that do not return questionnaires to take a count in person. Census questionnaire language assistance guides are available in a variety of languages.

Large-print questionnaires are available for the visually impaired upon request, and a Teletext  Device for the Deaf (TDD) program will help the hearing impaired.

Several temporary employment opportunities are also available through the census. For employment inquiries, please visit www.census.gov/2010censusjobs or call 1-866-861-2010.

I encourage all residents of Bastrop County to participate in this important undertaking. The results of the survey will be most beneficial to us. Visit www.census.gov/2010census for more information.

* Editor’s Note: If applied to the last census numbers for Bastrop County, that translates to more than $290,000. Since the population has increased since the last census, the dollar amount will actually be more than that.