Commissioners hear 2010 U.S. Census presentation

On Tuesday, December 1st, Historic City News has learned that the St. Johns County Board of County Commissioners will hear a presentation on the 2010 U.S. Census as part of their regular meeting.

The county is partnering with the United States Census Bureau to ensure St. Johns County residents are ready for the census this spring.

One of the first steps is establishing a Complete Count Committee to ensure every person in St. Johns County is counted through full census participation. Each person counted can result in as much as $2,900 per year being returned to St. Johns County in federal allocations. Full community participation is crucial to the success of this effort.

The census occurs only once every ten years. It gathers information that influences how approximately $300 billion dollars in federal funds are allocated to state and local governments based upon a community’s demographics and corresponding needs. The Census also determines the number of Florida Representatives in the United States Congress.

St. Johns County is one of several northeast Florida local governments partnering with the U.S. Census to raise local awareness regarding the importance of participating in the Census. This effort will result in an increased ability to attract federal dollars to achieve long-range planning and community goals relating to schools, hospitals, infrastructure, homeless shelters, elderly care facilities, substance abuse treatment programs, vocational training and other crucial needs.

The County will be taking steps toward establishing a St. Johns Complete Count Committee in December. Because participation throughout the community is critical, County staff and officials will be reaching out, in part, to stakeholders from the business, farming, elderly, disabled and faith-based communities in hopes of raising awareness and encouraging full participation.

St. Johns County is already partnering with the Census by providing testing sites for Census job recruitment. Information regarding Census jobs is available by calling 1-866-861-2010 or visiting www.2010censusjobs.gov.

According to the website, the U.S. Census Bureau is recruiting temporary, part-time census takers. Census taker jobs are excellent for people who want to work part-time, those who are between jobs or just about anyone who wants to earn extra money while performing an important service for their community. The short-term jobs offer good pay, flexible hours and paid training.

For more information about the Census, visit www.census2010.gov.