Letters to the Editor: The Census makes a difference

Hey Grand County and Moab City residents: PLEASE respond to the 2020 Census, it matters! The clock is ticking for our community to get an accurate count. Currently, Grand County’s self-response rate, as of Aug. 16, is 51.1%. The City’s self-response rate is 56.2%.

For a small town like Moab responding to the Census makes a difference. Every person counted equates to about $1,870.00 a year in various grant funding for the next 10 years, which is close to $20,000 a person.

Census numbers are used for everything from education and roads to healthcare and politics. Did you know that we gained a congressional seat following the 2010 Census? The outcome of the census can determine electoral representation down to the local level, including school boards and city councils. The 2020 Census count impacts the federal funds that Moab receives each year for programs and services that are critical for our schools, students, and younger children, such as special education, Head Start, after-school programs, and classroom technology as well as infrastructure decisions and funding, from road repairs to transit development. Public safety uses these numbers to guide decisions about service areas, fire stations, police precincts and hospitals. Medicare, Medicaid, CHIP and SNAP programs are based on Census numbers.

By law, the information is CONFIDENTIAL. Your answers can only be used to produce statistics and do not include anything that will identify you. Your information won’t be shared with local government, police, ICE or landlords. The Census impacts every part of life in Utah, so be counted and don’t forget to count EVERYONE living in your house: the children, your roommates, maybe your grandparents. YOU ALL COUNT!

To fill it out online, go to www.my2020census.gov

You can also call by phone. 1-844-330-2020, send a questionnaire by mail, or come and visit the Census booth at the Market on Center. We have lots of free Census swag!

Complete Count Census Member Karen Guzman-Newton