Census stakes high for Raymond

Raymond eyeing Census count...

For Raymond Mayor Isla Tullos, the difference between 2,000 and 1,999 is much greater than one.

It's the difference between a well- or ill-equipped fire department, between catching speeders and letting them go, between encouraging lawbreakers and keeping them at bay.

Between feeling safe and feeling vulnerable.

"That is the difference between being called a town or a city," Tullos said.

Once again, the U.S. census will determine the difference. And once again, Tullos hopes census takers give Raymond its due.

In 2000, they did not - at first. And the error underlines the potential impact of an inaccurate count for communities across the country as the mail-out/mail-back phase of the 2010 census ends Monday.

"Quite frankly, I'm worried about this happening here again," said Tullos, Raymond's mayor since 1997.

"For one thing, I never received a census form. I had to go to the library to get one."

A settlement of soon-to-be-determined size, Raymond rests in the middle of Hinds County, boasting a quaint town square chaperoned by a lofty water tower and perfumed by an outbreak of snowball viburnum's enormous white blooms.

At lunchtime one day last week, Tullos filled out a census form at a table inside the Country Food Shack on Clinton Street, across the way from her residence in the Old Probate building - another Raymond landmark.

"That's it," she said, finishing the form. "Very easy."

A few blocks away sits the main campus of Hinds Community College, whose students were key in restoring Raymond to city-hood after the last census. They will be key this time, too, Tullos said.

Ten years ago, Raymond's original population count amounted to a few hundred shy of the 2,000 needed to meet the "city" benchmark.

The city was demoted to a town.

That meant police felt handcuffed when it came to stopping speeders, Police Chief Jason Crotwell said.

"Towns aren't allowed to protect their citizens with radar. It's hard to catch or prove someone is speeding without it."

Radar-equipped police patrols also stir up a happy side effect, Tullos said.