Census 2010 may be still 11 months away, but local efforts to get the word out are already under way throughout the South Valley -- except in Hanford. Federal officials say complete count committees in Porterville and Tulare have already met twice to discuss strategies to increase participation and ensure an accurate count of the population, securing more than $1,000 per person per year in federal funding that would otherwise be lost.

Just as Avenal held its first meeting on Monday, Hanford Mayor David Ayers committed himself to taking the lead in getting the local committee up and running.

"I'm going to have to be the one to step up and be the guy," Ayers said Tuesday. "I just wanted to see if any other council member wanted to do it, but I think I'm going to be it. "

Of 84 cities in the region spanning between Santa Barbara and Livingston, 77 have already had their complete count committees hit the ground running, said Dolores Gallegos, partnership specialist for the Census Bureau. Among the incorporated cities in Tulare and Kings counties, Hanford is the last one to jump on the census bandwagon, she said.

Ayers explained that he wanted to give his colleagues the opportunity to consider taking the leadership role and said city leadership was also tackling budgetary concerns that took priority.

Gallegos on Wednesday welcomed the news of Ayers taking the lead.

"I'm really happy to hear that (the mayor) is making a commitment to chairing the complete count committee," she said. "I'm looking forward to working with him."

Gallegos, who requested Hanford city leaders form a committee on March 18, had expressed concerns as Hanford lagged behind in local promotion efforts.

"We're all worth approximately $1,000 each a year, so if 100 people go uncounted, your community loses $1 million in 10 years," she said. "We have hundreds and hundreds, if not thousands, of people who go uncounted. That's why we're here, and that's why it's crucial to have a complete count committee."

The census also has political implications, because political boundaries are redrawn according to the population count, Gallegos said. Also affected are schools as well as a variety of local funding sources such as community development block grants, redevelopment tax allocation and formula-based road money.

In 2000, the largest target population that went uncounted was children, regardless of their socioeconomic status or ethnicity, Gallegos said. This year, the census teams are also working to get better participation from the Latino population, another group marked with huge undercounts as a result of fear of immigration enforcement.

One of the main challenges the complete count committee must overcome, Gallegos said, is getting the undocumented population to understand that information collected through the census is confidential and there are no legal ramifications from participating in the count.

Through the stimulus, the local committee is expected to have a budget of nearly $5,500 -- with $3,000 earmarked for promotional items and $2,500 for services required.

The reporter can be reached at 583-2429.

(May 7, 2009)