2005 Census Survey Coming Soon

PHOENIX (Aug. 9, 2005)—When Maricopa County residents open their mailbox on Sept. 1, many will find a questionnaire from the U.S. Census Bureau asking how many people are living at the address.

What residents choose to do with that survey could have a five-year impact on the amount of funding their city or town receives for services such as police and fire protection, libraries, parks, senior centers, schools, and other important public services.

That is because when the state of Arizona collects money through taxes and other sources, it returns nearly $1 billion per year to cities and towns. The amount of money each jurisdiction receives is based on its population.

“As a dynamic, growing central city, and the city with the largest population in the region, the city of Phoenix has a very big stake in the 2005 Census Survey,” said Phoenix Mayor Phil Gordon during a press conference to inform residents about the upcoming survey. “For every resident counted, the city of Phoenix will receive about $432 per year. That’s more than $2,000 for each person counted over the next five years, until the next census is conducted. You can see just how important it is for every household that receives a survey to fill it out,” said Mayor Gordon.

About one in every 13 households in Maricopa County will receive the 2005 Census Survey. The survey will help determine the number of people in each city, town, and unincorporated area of the county. The Maricopa Association of Governments (MAG) contracted with the U.S. Census Bureau to conduct the mid-decade Census Survey.

Chandler Mayor Boyd Dunn said the 2005 Census Survey is especially important to rapidly growing communities like Chandler. Chandler estimates that the new population count could mean as much as $4.7 million in additional revenues each year to the city.

“That could amount to 30,000 new books for our libraries, one entirely equipped water well for a growing neighborhood, a new pumper truck for the fire department, 10 fully-outfitted police vehicles and nine new traffic signals—all of those things—from just one year of funding,” said Mayor Dunn.

Avondale Mayor Ron Drake, also in a rapidly growing community, said a successful Census Survey would mean hiring additional police officers to improve response times, and help the city build more parks and libraries.

“So what can you do?” asked Mayor Drake. “Look for your letter from the Census Bureau in late August. Fill out the questionnaire and send it back right away, making sure everyone in your household is counted.

CENSUS SURVEY ADD ONE

“Whether you are a permanent winter visitor, a citizen of another country living here, a child, or a homeless person, you count,” he said.

The MAG Regional Council voted in December 2003 to conduct a statistical survey as a means of capturing the region’s rapid population growth since the last decennial census was conducted in 2000. A survey takes a representative sample of all of the housing units in an area, and from that sample uses statistical methods to estimate the population. In addition to the survey of households, a full count of populations in group quarters and outdoor locations (homeless) will be conducted. Final numbers are expected in June 2006.

Speakers at the press conference included Phoenix Mayor Phil Gordon, Chandler Mayor Boyd Dunn, Avondale Mayor Ron Drake, Phoenix Complete Count Committee Chair Doug Lingner, Hispanic community representative Lydia Guzman, and Tanner Chapel Senior Pastor Benjamin Thomas. Guest appearances were made by members of the “Count Family,” (colorful characters dressed up as the census logo), and from children representing the Lincoln Family Center YMCA, who decorated paper dolls representing the logo.

Who's That Driving Down My Street?

Residents in several Valley communities may not even notice, but census workers will soon be driving down their streets in order to correctly record addresses on city streets. The address listing operation is needed to confirm addresses of existing homes and to record addresses of recently built homes. The updated address list will help account for new growth and achieve a more accurate count of population in the region when the 2005 Census Survey is conducted late this summer.

Address listers will be working in the communities of Buckeye, Cave Creek, El Mirage, Gila Bend, Goodyear, Guadalupe,

Litchfield Park, Queen Creek, Tolleson, Wickenburg, and Youngtown, and in unincorporated areas of the Valley. They will also be working within three Native American Indian Communities, including the Fort McDowell Yavapai Nation, the Gila River Indian Community, and the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community. The Census Bureau trained a staff of 70, divided up into six teams, to complete this project. Other communities in the Valley have compiled their own address lists and provided the data to the Census Bureau.

The address listing will be done primarily from inside vehicles and probably won’t even be noticed. However, local officials want residents to know about the operation so if they see a vehicle driving slowly down their street, they won’t be overly alarmed. All vehicles will have an 8 ½ x 11" placard in the rear window identifying the vehicle as a census vehicle. In addition, all workers are required to carry proper census identification.

Once the addresses have been recorded, they will be put into a database from which a random sample will be selected. Selected addresses will receive a short survey questionnaire from the Census Bureau that they will be asked to fill out and return. The 2005 Census Survey will ask residents to record the number of people living at the address.

The survey will determine the number of people living in each city, town, and unincorporated area of the county. The population counts are used to distribute nearly $1 billion each year in state-shared revenues, and help ensure that each community receives its fair share of money that pays for services such as police and fire protection, parks, libraries, recreation facilities, senior centers, road improvements, hospitals and schools.

MAG Prepares for 2005 Census Survey

The Maricopa Association of Governments has begun preparations for conducting a 2005 Census Survey. The mid-decade survey is being conducted as a means of updating population figures for cities and towns in our rapidly-growing region. The survey will be conducted on September 1, 2005.

Accurate population figures are important, because cities and towns receive state-shared revenues based on population. Those revenues pay for vital city services such as police and fire protection, water and sewer services, properly maintained streets, and garbage pickup. Because this is a survey and not a door-to-door count, only a sample of residents, selected at random, will be asked to fill out the survey. Please browse our Web site to find out more about Census 2005.

Census Bureau Recruiting Workers For Census Survey of Maricopa County, AZ.

PHOENIX — Are you a U.S. citizen interested in earning extra money and helping your community at the same time? The U.S. Census Bureau is recruiting workers for the Census Survey of Maricopa County, Ariz. Members of the Maricopa Association of Governments recently approved this 2005 Census effort. The large, mid-decade survey will be conducted throughout Maricopa County and will be used to update the population count of individual cities and towns, as well as the rest of the county. The Census Bureau will hire approximately 400 workers to begin work in May 2005 in preparation for the actual survey start date of September 1, 2005. The State of Arizona allocates about $1 billion of state-shared revenue to cities and towns each year based on the 2000 census population figures. Because of the rapidly growing population in the county, the mid-decade population count will be used to redistribute state-shared revenues more equitably to communities in Maricopa County, as provided for in Arizona state laws.

Approximately 114,000 addresses will be selected to complete and mail back a questionnaire, which is scheduled to arrive on or around September 1, 2005. Those who don’t respond by mail will be contacted by telephone or personal visit from October through December 2005. Another 400 persons will be hired to conduct these personal visits.

Local Census Office Opens

The Census Bureau has hired 12 workers to staff the local census office, which opened its doors in downtown Phoenix on January 19, 2005. The local office is the hub for all 2005 census activity and houses the recruitment phone bank.

Cities and Towns Donate Space

A number of MAG member agencies have donated space for testing and training of census workers. The Census Bureau is contacting those agencies to schedule dates and times to use member agency meeting rooms for the testing and training of census workers.

Outreach Efforts Begin

The City of Phoenix Media Subcommittee has been formed. The subcommittee will develop a plan to publicize Census Survey efforts regionwide through a variety of media, including television and radio advertisements, public service announcements, flyers, newsletters and meetings with community organizations. The committee is made up of communication experts and representatives from print, radio and television outlets.

In addition to the city’s efforts, MAG has also created a Census Survey Outreach Group to publicize the importance of participating in the census within individual communities. The group will work closely with the Phoenix Media Subcommittee to coordinate outreach efforts.