County officials push census efforts

By Staff
Jonathan Willis
The Franklin County Commission voted Monday to move forward with plans for an aggressive marketing campaign to educate county residents about the 2010 census and its importance.
Because federal funding is based on an area's population, county officials want to make sure that each person living in the county is counted.
Franklin County engineer David Palmer introduced a series of letters Monday that the commission voted to use as mail outs.
Each home in the county should receive a letter about the census in the next couple of weeks. As part of the campaign, letters will also be sent home with each student in the county and sent to each church.
"We have lost millions, millions, of dollars over the last 10 years," Palmer said.
Officials estimate that cots for printing and distributing the materials could cost about $10,000.
"That is money well spent," Commissioner Greg Smith said.
Commission chairman and Probate Judge Barry Moore said the money would quickly be recouped over the next decade.
"We need to get this right now so we aren't paying for it for the next 10 years," Moore said. "We can reap the benefits if we do it right."
During the meeting, State Sen. Roger Bedford, who serves as the county's attorney, said that he would donate $2,500 to offset some of the costs.
"This is very important to our county and the future," Bedford said. "The more we can do to help the census, the more it will help us for the next 10 years."
In other business, the commission: