Utah could have been $900 million richer during the past decade if everyone in the state had returned the U.S. census forms in 2000, according to members of Salt Lake City's Complete Count Committee.

The accounting firm PricewaterhouseCoopers estimated 30,000 Utahns evaded enumeration, said Joanne Milner, education-partnership coordinator for the mayor.

Those people, some of whom may have feared divulging their information, cost the state about $3,000 per person per year in federal funds for schools, child nutrition and other programs.

"People are still afraid, and we've had to face many barriers," said Elisa Bridge, a volunteer helping with the committee's efforts to count Latinos, who made up 19 percent of the city's population in 2000.

Some undocumented immigrants worry the personal information on the 10-question form may land them in trouble, although the survey does not ask about legal status or Social Security numbers. All personal information is sealed from public review for 72 years, and census workers face penalties for sharing it with anyone.

The Complete Count Committee is attempting to convince families -- especially those in minority and refugee populations who are traditionally hard to reach -- that it's their own schools and neighborhoods that suffer for lack of funding or political representation when they ignore the census.

"We've stressed the importance of it," Bridge said, "and how it can affect their families."

Officials and volunteers have focused on getting the message out at civic gatherings for Latinos and other minorities, and at their children's schools, where they feel comfortable, said Yolanda Francisco-Nez, coordinator for the capital's Complete Count Committee. There is a particular need, she added, to reach first-generation Americans who may have faced government reprisals in their home countries.

Dozens of help centers for those with questions about their forms are established around the Salt Lake Valley, including at city schools such as Whittier, Bennion and Horizonte.

Questionnaires for the April 1 count already are in the mail and have arrived at many homes. Those who don't return them will trigger one or more visits from a census worker. The Census Bureau estimates that it saves the government $85 million for every 1 percent increase in the nationwide mail-in return rate.

Salt Lake County's return rate in 2000 was 72 percent, and Sandy led the way at 80 percent. Mayors from around the valley staged a news conference at the Utah Food Bank in South Salt Lake -- a nonprofit that relies on government grants tied to population -- to challenge their residents to do better this time.

County Mayor Peter Corroon said those worried about handing the government their name, phone number and address should realize that the government already gets that from tax returns.

West Valley City Mayor Mike Winder, whose city also has an active committee seeking to encourage participation by undercounted populations, said he filled out his form Wednesday.

"It took all of six minutes," Winder said.

Sending in the forms is important, he added, because his city is diverse and growing. In the 2000 tally, Utah's second largest city had an ethnic minority population approaching 25 percent.

Salt Lake City Councilman Carlton Christensen said capital residents should have extra incentive to participate. Census Bureau counts through the decade have been largely stagnant in the city, compared with the surging suburbs.

"If we don't count the population accurately," Christensen said, "I think we do run the risk of losing some legislative representation."