ACROSS THE U.S. AND HERE IN
WISCONSIN WILL START GETTING
2020 CENSUS BUREAU INFORMATION
IN THE MAIL.
THE COUNT HAPPENS EVERY TEN
YEARS AND HELPS DETERMINE HOW
MUCH FEDERAL FUNDING GOES TO
STATES FOR THINGS SUCH AS
SCHOOLS, HOSPITALS AND ROADS.
RESULTS OF THE CENSUS ALSO
DETERMINE THE NUMBER OF SEATS
EACH STATE HAS IN THE U.S. HOUSE
OF REPRESENTATIVES AND ARE USED
TO DRAW LEGISLATIVE DISTRICTS.
MADISON MAYOR SATYA
RHODES-CONWAY IS HOPING TO FILL
A SHORTAGE OF CENSUS TAKERS AND
GET A COMPLETE COUNT.
SHE JOINS US NOW AND THANKS FOR
BEING HERE.
>> IT'S MY PLEASURE.
>> I KNOW IN RECENT DAYS YOU
HAVE SAID THAT MADISON WAS
LAGGING BEHIND KIND OF THE REST
OF THE STATE IN BEING ABLE TO
HIRE OR RECRUIT CENSUS TAKERS.
HOW MANY DOES MADISON NEED TO
FILL?
>> SO WE'VE GOT ABOUT 47% OF OUR
POSITIONS FILLED RIGHT NOW AND
WHAT THEY TELL ME IS THAT IN
ORDER TO FILL THE REST, WE NEED
SOMEWHERE CLOSE TO 4,000
APPLICANTS.
THAT DOESN'T MEAN WE NEED 4,000
PEOPLE, BUT WE NEED PEOPLE TO
APPLY AND TO CONSIDER TAKING THE
JOB IN ORDER TO FILL THE
POSITIONS THAT WE NEED.
>> AND YET THE CENSUS CAN BE
FILLED OUT AND SENT BACK ONLINE
OR MAIL OR OVER THE PHONE.
WHY DO YOU NEED ACTUAL BODIES TO
KIND OF DO THIS COUNT?
>> THAT'S A REALLY GOOD POINT.
AND I DO WANT TO EMPHASIZE THAT
WHEN PEOPLE GET THAT LETTER IN
THE MAIL, THEY HAVE LOLTS OF LOTS OF
OPTIONS.
THEY CAN GO ONLINE AND DO IT
RIGHT THERE.
THEY CAN CALL IN AND DO IT OVER
THE PHONE.
ORAL THEYOR THEY CAN WAIT UNTIL SOMEBODY
COMES TO THEIR DOOR.
AND WHAT WE SEE IS HISTORICALLY
IS ABOUT 20% OF PEOPLE WILL NOT
FILL IT OUT PROACTIVELY
THEMSELVES.
AND SO THAT 20% WE NEED TO SEND
PEOPLE OUT TO KNOCK ON DOORS AND
SAY, HEY, COULD YOU PLEASE FILL
THIS OUT.
LET'S DO IT TOGETHER.
YOU KNOW, ONE THING THAT'S
IMPORTANT FOR FOLKS TO KNOW IS
IT'S REALLY SHORT.
THERE'S NINE QUESTIONS.
IF YOU DO IT YOURSELF, IT TAKES
YOU MAYBE TEN MINUTES TO FINISH.
SO WE REALLY WANT TO ENCOURAGE
PEOPLE TO FILL IT OUT
THEMSELVES.
BUT WE ALSO REALLY HAVE TO HAVE
THAT COMPLETE COUNT.
>> THERE ARE SOME BARE YEARS TO
THIS, THOUGH, I UNDERSTAND AFTER
READING A CENSUS BUREAU STUDY
ABOUT THIS.
CHIEF AMONG THEM THAT THERE'S A
DISMUST OF GOVERNMENT AND THIS
IS A GOVERNMENT FORM.
ALSO ACCORDING TO THIS STUDY 10%
OF PEOPLE INCORRECTLY BELIEVE
THAT THE CENSUS IS USED TO
LOCATE UNDOCUMENTED IMMIGRANTS.
WHAT IS THE TRUTH TO THAT?
>> I WANT TO BE REALLY CLEAR
THAT WHEN PEOPLE DO FILL OUT THE
CENSUS, THAT DATA IS PRIVATE.
IT IS NOT USED FOR LAW
ENFORCEMENT.
IT IS NOT USED FOR IMMIGRATION.
I REALLY WANT TO ENCOURAGE
PEOPLE TO, YES, GO AHEAD AND
FILL OUT THE CENSUS.
THIS DATA IS NOT GOING TO BE
USED AGAINST YOU.
AND IN FACT IT IS GOING TO BE
USED TO HELP YOUR COMMUNITY.
AS YOU SAID AT THE TOP, WE HAVE
MANY STREAMS OF FEDERAL FUNDING
THAT RELY ON CENSUS NUMBERS.
AND IN FACT IF WE -- FOR EVERY
PERSON THAT DOESN'T FILL OUT THE
CENSUS, WE PROJECT THAT WE LOSE
ABOUT $2,000.
>> HOW MUCH FEDERAL MONEY
HISTORICALLY KIND OF FLOWS
THROUGH THE NUMBERS THAT THE
CENSUS COUNTS?
>> IT'S ALL ACROSS THE BOARD,
RIGHT.
SO THIS IS ANYTHING FROM TAX
CREDITS FOR AFFORDABLE HOUSING
TO THE FREE AND REDUCED LUNCHES
AT SCHOOL TO DIRECT ASSISTANCE
TO SMALL BUSINESSES IN OUR
COMMUNITIES.
SO THERE'S A WHOLE RANGE OF
TYPES OF FEDERAL MONEY THAT
COUNT ON THE CENSUS NUMBERS.
THE OTHER THING THAT'S IMPORTANT
IS THAT IT'S NOT JUST THE SHEER
NUMBERS OF PEOPLE, BUT IT'S IN
FACT THE TYPES OF PEOPLE.
SO IF WE HAVE MORE SENIORS
COUNTED, WE GET MORE FUNDING
RELATED SENIOR SERVICES.
SO IT'S VERY IMPORTANT THAT
EVERYBODY FILL OUT THE CENSUS,
THAT WE HAVE THAT COMPLETE
COUNT, SO THAT WE CAN HAVE A
REALLY ACCURATE ASSESSMENT OF
THE NEEDS IN OUR COMMUNITY AND
THEN TAKE ADVANTAGE OF AS MUCH
FEDERAL FUNDING AS POSSIBLE.
>> BECAUSE HOW HAS MADISON
CHANGED SINCE THE LAST CENSUS?
>> OH, TREMENDOUSLY.
YOU JUST LOOK AT OUR POPULATION
GROWTH ALONE.
IN THE LAST TEN YEARS, WE HAVE
GROWN TREMENDOUSLY.
AND, AS WE KNOW, IN MADISON, BUT
ALSO FEDERALLY, WE HAVE A SHIFT
IN DEMOGRAPHICS, RIGHT?
SO OUR AGE STRUCTURE IS
CHANGING.
WE ARE SEEING A LOT MORE -- I
DON'T WANT TO NAME A PARTICULAR
GENERATION, BUT WE'RE SEEING THE
20 TO 30 FOLKS, THAT SEGMENT OF
THE AGE STRUCTURE, IS GROWING IN
MADISON.
OUR COMMUNITY IS GETTING MORE
DIVERSE RACIALLY AND ETHNICALLY.
SO WE NEED TO KNOW WHO'S HERE IN
ORDER TO BE ACCURATE, BOTH FOR
THE MONEY BUT ALSO JUST TO HAVE
AN ACCURATE SENSE OF WHO OUR
COMMUNITY IS.
>> SO WHAT IS MADISON AND DANE
COUNTY DOING TO TRY TO ENSURE AN
ACCURATE COUNT?
>> SO THERE'S A NUMBER OF WAYS
WE'RE WORKING WITH THE
COMMUNITY.
RIGHT NOW I WANT TO REEMPHASIZE
THAT THE MOST IMPORTANT THING IS
WE NEED TO RECRUIT PEOPLE TO
APPLY FOR CENSUS JOBS.
SUPER EASY TO DO.
2020s CENSUS..GOV/JOBS.
THEY PAY $22 AN HOUR.
THEY'RE VERY FLEXIBLE.
LIMITED TERM, MARCH THROUGH
JULY.
IT CAN BE FULL-TIME, PART-TIME.
IT'S A GREAT THING FOR A RETIE RETIREE
OR STUDENT TO PICK UP.
WE HAVE PARTNERED WITH A NUMBER
OF AGENCIES IN OUR COMMUNITY TO
HELP US REACH OUT THE
POPULATIONS THAT ARE
UNDER-COUNTED AND TO SHARE THE
MESSAGE OF HOW IMPORTANT THE
CENSUS IS AND HOW MUCH WE NEED
PEOPLE TO CONTRIBUTE TO THAT
COMPLETE COUNT.
>> ALL RIGHT.