Jones County urges Complete Count in 2010 Census

2010 census critical to Mississippi, says Jones County resident and Board of Supervisors President Andy Dial in the Laurel Leader Call.

An inaccurate census count could cost the state of Mississippi a Congressional seat and a loss of funding, according to Jones County Board of Supervisors President Andy Dial.

“If we have a short count this year, we could lose another seat and that will leave us with only three Congressmen and even less money,” he said. “We can’t afford for that to happen.”

That’s why Dial signed a commitment to work with Diann Chapman to make sure a complete census is taken in Jones County. While he cannot guarantee that everyone in the county will participate in the census, he wants to educate as many people as possible about the importance of the census.

Chapman, partnership specialist for the Dallas Regional Census Center, told board members this week that only 63 percent of Mississippians participated in the 2000 Census. As a result, the state lost 37 percent of its federal funding.

“Mississippi may not have the growth that some of the other states have, but Mississippi has seen growth,” she said. “Our job is to show that growth in the numbers.

“If we get 30 percent of the 37 percent who did not participate in the 2000 Census to participate in the 2010 Census, it would make a big difference. We need your help to make that happen,” she told the Supervisors.

Board member Jerome Wyatt informed Chapman that it will be an uphill battle. He said many people do not participate in the census because of fear that the numbers will be used against them.

Board member Barry Saul, who has a large Hispanic population in Beat Three, stressed similar concerns. “The last census showed that Jones County had about 3,000 Hispanics,” said Saul. “I have about 3,000 Hispanics in just one of my communities.”

Dial estimates the number of Hispanics living in the county to be about 15,000. Because some may be illegals, people are not going to give an accurate number of those living in their household. “That’s even if they participate at all,” he said.

Chapman said people should know that any information given to the United States Census Bureau will not be shared with any other agency. “All we want are the numbers,” she said. “It doesn’t matter if you are in the country illegally or not. The information will not be available to anyone except the census bureau.”

Chapman will work with supervisors to establish a “Complete Count Committee” which will consist of a team of community leaders. This committee will implement a 2010 Census Awareness Campaign to get county residents to complete the 2010 Census questionnaire in a timely and accurate manner.

“We need everyone’s participation,” said Dial.