Page 17 - Florida Sentinel 7-24-20

Local
Be Counted:
Residents, You Must Complete The 2020 Census!
The online 2020 census question- naire operation was launched on March 12, 2020. One week later, the impact of COVID-19 brought real life to its motto, “Reshape Your Fu- ture,” and led to the extension of the collection period to October 31, 2020 and its presentation to a virtual world.
For the first time since the census began in 1790, residents can respond in one of three ways: online —2020census.gov; by phone — (844) 330-2020, or by mail.
However, the response rate does not reflect that convenience. Hills- borough County was off to a good start initially. By April 16th, 50.6% households had responded with 90% of them completed online.
Currently, only 10% more house- holds have been counted, and it ap- pears that as the lockdown continued,
PHAN BOSTON ...Census Coordinator Hillsborough County
completing the census was not on the stay-at-home activities’ agenda.
Les Miller, Jr., Hillsborough County Commission Chairman, stresses that, “The greater the num- ber of residents who complete the census, the more
money is available, lo- cally, for transporta- tion, economic development, health- care, education, and nutrition.
“Vitally important
is the possibility of gaining another seat in the House of Representatives, where elected officials decide how those services are budgeted and deliv- ered.”
Hillsborough County’s fair share of trillions of dollars allocated for the next ten years will be based on the percentage of the population of Hills- borough County counted in 2020.
The greater concerns are access to the internet, importance of the census and confidentiality. Pre-pandemic plans were underway to bridge the digital divide by making internet ac- cess available at branch libraries, in public facilities and schools.
When on-the-ground operations were suspended on March 18th, those plans were shelved. Traditionally, public awareness of the importance of the census was events and public ap- pearance driven. Instead, festivals and fairs were canceled, home-based
work and schooling escalated to new levels, and staying safe is the order of the day.
The census is time sensitive. This is a once every ten years report by constitutional mandate, with no ad- justments being made after the fact. The census is confidential. Individual records are sealed for 72 years. Nei- ther social security numbers, citizen- ship, nor arrest history are required.
“The census is not an application for help. The census is a demand for your fair share,” Phan Boston, Census Coordinator, Hillsborough County Government, explains.
If you would like to get involved and serve on a Complete Count Com- mittee, go to https://www.hillsbor- oughcounty.org/en/residents/citizen s/2020-united-states-census or for more information contact Ms. Boston, at (813) 210-7204. bostonp@hillsboroughcounty.org.
FYI
Special Called School Board Meeting
The Hillsborough County School Board will hold a special called School Board meeting on Thursday, July 23, from 3- 5 p. m.
The School Board is scheduled to vote on the proposed School Reopening Plan, including the recommendation from Superintendent Addison Davis to delay the start of school for students until August 24.
The meeting will take place in the School Board Auditorium, 901 E. Kennedy Blvd., Tampa, and will be aired on Hillsbor- ough Schools TV, Spectrum Cable channel 635 and Frontier channel 32.
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