By the end of this month, every Lawrence County resident should have received his Census 2000 form.

Monday, March 27, 2000

By the end of this month, every Lawrence County resident should have received his Census 2000 form.

And if they are not completed and mailed out by mid-April expect a knock on the door, said Pat Slagle, Chillicothe Local Census Bureau manager.

"There are quite a number of reasons to fill out the census form," Slagle said. "Originally, it was mandated in 1790 strictly for congressional districting; that’s the first reason. The second reason, there are all kinds of federal monies dispersed every year. Knowing where people live helps the government target that money to go to different municipalities and different counties. They determine a need through the census."

Coal Grove Mayor Tom McKnight won’t take any chances when filling out his forms and he hopes his fellow residents don’t either.

"Our mail says Ironton, Ohio," McKnight said. "I fill it out Coal Grove, Ohio. I want to make sure they know I live in Coal Grove, because how many there are in our community means so much when it comes to the grant programs."

The bureau does have ways to identify those residents who live in different municipalities, even when the mailing addresses are similar, Slagle said. But changing the information to Coal Grove couldn’t hurt, just as long as the forms are filled out, he added.

It’s especially important for those who were selected to receive the long form to fill it out, Slagle said.

"If a county is low-income like Lawrence, they could get a little bit bigger piece of the pie than someone else because of the information," he said.

Some of the questions on the long form may seem obtrusive, but if it means more money to smaller communities, McKnight said he would answer every one.

"Some people are upset about some of the questions on the census booklet," he said. "I’m not at all pleased either, but I also know that if we’re going to apply for grants, it’s a needed thing. We’ve got to have a proper count of everyone in the village."

Every seventh person on the census list is selected to receive the long form, Slagle said.

"They start at the top of a list," he said. "It’s the luck of the draw."

Don’t think about only filling out the residency questions, though, Slagle said.

"If they don’t fill the whole thing out, someone may come around and ask in a non-response followup."

Census workers will knock on the doors of all those who don’t send in their forms by mid-April, Slagle said.

"We wait for everyone to mail them back in, and the people who haven’t responded by mid-April, we start a non-response followup," he said. "We go out and ask them the questions face-to-face and fill out the form with them."

More than 300 people will be combing the 15-county area, the Chillicothe office covers toward the end of April. All forms need to be turned into census bureaus by the end of June.

If anyone needs help or has questions there are three Questionnaire Assistance Centers in Lawrence County. One is located at the Collins Career Center and staffed from 3 to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. Someone also is available to answer questions from 1 to 3 p.m. Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays at the Chesapeake Branch of the Briggs Lawrence County Public Library and from 10 a.m. to noon Tuesdays and Thursdays at the Southern Branch.

Census employees are still needed. More information about the job and the testing may be obtained by calling 1-888-325-7733.