Utah's two largest cities have formed 2010 Census outreach committees to try to convince everyone -- especially undocumented immigrants and other historically undercounted populations -- that it's in their best interests to be tallied next year.
Salt Lake City's first committee meeting Tuesday attracted about 80 people from various agencies, nonprofits and advocacy groups who are agreeing to spread the word about returning census questionnaires.
West Valley City also has assembled a panel to help ensure that as many residents as possible are counted.
At stake are millions of dollars in population-based federal grants and state sales-tax shares, plus fair representation in Congress and on city councils.
"That affects things like roads, transit, schools," said West Valley City planning manager Steve Pastorik, who's leading his city's effort. "It's not just funding for those facilities, but the census data also is used to determine where to build those."
Ensuring an accurate count is especially daunting and important in West Valley City, which has large immigrant and refugee populations. The city (population 122,000) repeatedly and successfully has challenged annual census estimates, helping it claim its rightful portion of government spending.
Residents who seek to remain anonymous penalize their communities unnecessarily, said Daniel Pacheco, the Census Bureau's partnerships specialist for Utah. The information they submit adds to the statistics that determine funding for services such as Head Start, but it is not tracked individually.
All personal information is confidential for 72 years, Pacheco said, and any census worker who divulges it to anyone risks prison and fines.
The questionnaire does not address citizenship. "Not our business," he said. "Not our job."
Still, undocumented immigrants and those who do not speak English are routinely difficult to reach.
"They're not going to listen to me," Pacheco told the Salt Lake City volunteers on Tuesday. "They're not going to believe me. They're going to believe you."
Salt Lake Community Action Program organizer Virginia Marrufo-Martinez agreed that Latinos she helps in Utah's capital (population 181,000) will trust her and activists like her, but it will take a lot of work to reach everyone. State legislation such as SB81 targeting undocumented immigrants has stoked fears, she said.
"They don't want to be identified in any way, shape or form," she said. "They're so scared it's not funny."
Statewide, Salt Lake City co-chairwoman Joanne Milner said, the Census Bureau missed at least 50,000 Latinos in 2000.
The Census Bureau will mail questionnaires to every street address next March and follow up at every residence that doesn't respond in April.
68 » Percent of Utahns who responded to initial 2000 Census questionnaires.
90 million » Dollars saved on in-person follow-up for each percent increase in questionnaire responses nationwide.
50,000 » Minimum estimated undercount of Utah Latinos in 2000.
3,000-3,500 » Workers the Census Bureau will send to Utah neighborhoods next spring.
