By Sherri Blevins
At the May 9, 2019, Stevenson City Council meeting, Robert Avery, with the United States Census Bureau, visited the council members explaining the importance of the 2020 U.S. Census and the need for local workers.
Avery informed the council that the entire state is in danger of losing a United States Congressional seat if accurate population counts are not collected, showing a decrease in the state’s population. The lower numbers could lower the amount of federal money allocated to Alabama, leading to a loss in services. At the national level, census information is used to plan the provision of health care, education, employment, transport, and etc. It is used to determine where to build new schools, roads, health care facilities, child-care, and senior centers. The Census is also an important economic tool.
Avery’s purpose for addressing the council was also to recruit census workers from the Stevenson area. The thought being that local citizens will be more willing to report accurate information to people they know or residents of Stevenson.
Avery stated that at the peak of the hiring, the Census Bureau requires 400 employees in the Jackson County area. The worker may choose the number of hours they wish to work from one to forty per week. The pay will be somewhere between $13.50 and $15.00 per hour. First, workers will be needed to verify existing addresses. Later, workers will go door to door collecting information. Census workers receive weekly paychecks and can expect their first paycheck two weeks after they begin working. For more information or to apply online, visit 2020census.gov/jobs, or call 1-855-JOB-2020.
After Avery’s request for workers, Mayor Steele stressed the importance of obtaining an accurate Census count. He stated that in the 2000 Census the city of Stevenson lost $240,000 in funds due to the lowered population count, and it continued to lose money every year until the 2010 Census. The numbers did go up for the city in 2010, but for the entire county, the numbers didn’t increase. He explained that the new gas tax is tied to the Census report. If our population goes up, we get more money in sales tax and gas tax. That is why it is important to get an accurate count. He stressed the importance of the citizens’ help in this area.
