Local Artist Paints Gift for Family of Carley McCord
February 20, 2020
Gallery: Mechanicville Gym Reopens
February 20, 2020
April 1st is Census Day, only 40 days away.
At last night’s council meeting, Christopher Pulaski, Director of Zoning and Land Use, delivered a presentation on the importance of the census.
“How many people live under that roof,” he said. “That’s really all they’re after.”
The census data’s information is foundational to all governmental decisions from local all the way to federal. Pulaski stressed two in his presentation: representation, and economic.
He said a Louisiana seat was lost in Washington D.C. last census because of poor participation in the census (The House is determined by population size).
As for economic impact, government dollars are allocated based on census data, said Pukaski.
“A lot of projects that are funded either through DOTD or HUD, all those things come from federal dollars, and a lot of that is based on the census data,” Pulaski said.
A family of four, over a 10 year period, equates to about $80,000 of federal funding.
Other federal agencies, such as ICE and even the IRS are not allowed to access the census data. Pulaski said, misconceptions regarding how this information could be abused has likely scared people away from taking part. He added that, for instance, he and other parish representatives have to sign disclosures that if they were to reveal the census info, they could go to jail.
To fill out census info online visit: www.countdabayou.org
