Calvert County is planning for the 2020 Census in order to ensure every resident is counted once, only once and in the right place on Census Day, April 1, 2020.
The U.S. Constitution mandates that a census of the population be conducted once every 10 years. Census data is used to reapportion congressional representation among the states and determine how $675 billion in federal funds is distributed to states and local communities every year for services and infrastructure, including health care, jobs, schools, roads and businesses.
Calvert County saw a 76% response rate in 2000 and 80% in 2010. The U.S. Census Bureau, who conducts the census, estimates that each adult and child not counted equates to about $1,825 per year in lost federal funding – a total of $18,250 per person over 10 years.
“Calvert County is invested in helping every resident be counted so our citizens can get the public services they need and deserve,” said Board of County Commissioners (BOCC) President Kelly D. McConkey. “The information collected in the census is vital to planning for public health and safety, schools, transportation projects, obtaining grants and funding for public programs, and ensuring equal representation in Congress and state and local districts. The 10 minutes it takes to respond can have far-reaching impact.”
The BOCC voted in May to establish a complete count committee representing a broad range of community interests. The committee is collaborating with the Maryland Complete Count Committee and the U.S. Census Bureau to educate the public and motivate Calvert County residents to complete the census questionnaire.
The Calvert County Complete Count Committee is led by Committee Chair Dr. Sudha Haley, board member for the Calvert County Commission on Aging and the National Active and Retired Federal Employees Association, and vice chairs Janet Bellizzi, representative for the League of Women Voters of Calvert County, and Stacy Milor, town clerk for the Town of North Beach. The committee held a kick-off meeting in September and meets monthly.
“Calvert County is our little piece of Paradise on Earth, and we want everyone to be counted and help shape the future of our community,” said Haley. “Responding to the census is easy, confidential and secure, and important to providing our children, families and neighbors with much-needed resources for the next decade.”
The committee launched a Calvert County 2020 Census webpage at www.CalvertCountyMd.gov/Census for citizens to stay up to date with upcoming census-related events in the community, as well as information on when and how 2020 Census information will be collected, its impact on the local community, why participation matters and more.