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Jessamine County is preparing for the 2010 U.S. Census and hoping county residents are prepared, too. More than 130 million addresses across the nation should receive census forms in March either by mail or in person from a census worker.

The national population count will help determine new congressional apportionments, and Jessamine County Judge-Executive Neal Cassity said the census is expected to have a big impact on county money, since most federal funding and grants are based on the county’s population.

“If you haven’t been around a while to see, you don’t realize how important it really is,” he said.

The Jessamine County Complete Count Committee, chaired by Cassity, has been meeting and designing the best way to inform the public about the importance of the census. One of Cassity’s main concerns was that residents would be worried about legal repercussions of the numbers they report.

“The big problem you’re going to have right now is so many people living in the same house because of hard times,” he said. “And a lot of times, I’m afraid that they won’t want to give all the number of the house, because if they’re renting, especially, the landlord doesn’t want six people living in the house when he’s got it ready for two.”

Cassity said such fears are unjustified, since the Census Bureau is legally restricted from sharing individuals’ personal information with other government agencies or law-enforcement organizations.

“Even though we emphasize that this thing is not to be used for anything else other than the census — it’s not supposed to go to any departments or anything — it’s hard to get people to believe that,” he said.

The 10-question forms will not be mailed to individuals but just to addresses. The committee is still putting the finishing touches on packaging for the forms, but Cassity said he hopes the final design will have clear markings so it doesn’t look like junk mail.

“The thing that bothers me about it is it looks so generic,” he said. “When you throw away all the garbage mail, people are going to get that thing, and they’re going to see it doesn’t have their name on it or anything, and they’re just going to discard it.”

From late April through July, census workers — identifiable by census badge and bag — will be visiting addresses that did not respond to the form in the mail.

In the 2000 Census, about seven of every 10 addresses in the nation responded with a census form. Michelle Elison with the Census Bureau said that if this census had a response rate just 1 percent higher — 71 percent — it would save an estimated $90 million in costs of tracking down non-respondents.

“That’s people that we don’t have to hire and train and do the FBI background check on and fingerprinting and all that stuff and send them out on the streets to knock on doors,” she said. “Ultimately, the more people we can get to mail back their form — and all that costs is a postage stamp — it will just save taxpayer money in the long run.”

Jessamine County’s participation rate in the 2000 Census was 75 percent, above the national rate of 72 percent and the statewide rate of 69 percent.

In the 2000 Census, the county’s population was 39,041, up from the 1990 count if 30,508. The Kentucky State Data Center has projected Jessamine County’s population for 2010 at 48,615.

While most citizens may have no trouble figuring out where they should be counted, some have unique living situations. The Census Bureau offers these tips to figure out where to be counted:

• Those who don’t live in one place regularly or are experiencing homelessness should be counted in the residence in which they are staying on Census Day (April 1).

• Citizens of foreign countries should be counted in the residence where they live and sleep most of the time.

• College students who live away from their parental home should be counted in their on-campus or off-campus housing.

• U.S. military personnel living in the barracks should be counted in the barracks. If on base or off base but not living in the barracks, they should be counted where they live and sleep most of the time.

• People who live in group communities, such as jails or prisons, group homes, domestic-violence shelters, and shelters for the homeless, should be counted at the group location.

• Those who keep more than one residence (like a vacation home) or live in a transitory location (like an RV park, campground, marina, racetrack, circus or carnival) should be counted where they live and sleep most of the time, or where they are staying on Census Day if time is divided equally.

Cassity said the Census Bureau still has jobs available that can pay around $13.75 an hour. Those interested should call Bax McClure at 940-0618.

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