Ahead of the 2020 U.S. Census, North Lewisburg officials are urging residents of the town to take part.
Village Administrator Andy Yoder stressed the importance of an accurate count at North Lewisburg Council’s Tuesday meeting.
While the numbers from the census are used for big picture items such as dividing members of the U.S. House of Representatives, Yoder said the numbers also have impact at the local level for funding of various grant programs.
Information provided by Yoder said understanding population growth and decline allows communities to make decisions on such things as funding for school lunches and the location of new roads or fire stations. The information also said businesses use the numbers to make decisions on where to open new stores and where to expand operations.
Yoder said Champaign County alone will see more than 200 part time jobs created to help compile census statistics.
Yoder provided council members with a timeline of census activity for the coming year.
•Jan. 21 – The U.S. Census Bureau starts counting the population in the remote Alaskan village of Toksook Bay.
•March 12-20 – Households will begin receiving official Census Bureau mail with detailed information on how to respond to respond online, by phone or by mail.
•March 30-April 1- The Census Bureau will count people who are experiencing homelessness over these three days. Workers count those in shelters, at soup kitchens and mobile food vans, in tent cities and on the streets.
•April 1- Census Day is observed nationwide. By this date, every home should have received its invitation to submit information.
•April- Census takers will begin visiting college students who live on campus, people living in senior centers and others living in large group settings. Census workers also begin conduction quality check interviews to help ensure an accurate count.
•May-July-Census takers will begin visiting homes that haven’t responded to the 2020 Census to make sure everyone is counted.
•December- The Census Bureau will deliver apportionment counts to the President and Congress as required by law.
In other business, council:
-Approved a $6 per hour raise for Yoder. Mayor Cheryl Hollingsworth explained that a recent salary study found that North Lewsiburg was on the low end of the scale in terms of compensating its village administrator. The increase will bring Yoder’s hourly wage to $33.42 per hour.
-Approved an ordinance amending the village parking regulations on third reading.
-Approved John Collier as village council president. Collier received three votes, while Ted Murphy received two votes.
-Learned that a Narcan information session and training program is set for today at 7 p.m. at the United Methodist Church in North Lewisburg.
-Learned that the village received a $3,179 grant reimbursement for its mosquito spraying in 2019.