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By  Erin Meyers

With the countdown to the New Year over, another countdown begins as local leaders in North St. Louis County work to spread the word about the 2010 census before its distribution in March.

The 10-question form will be delivered to nearly 130 million addresses across the United States.  With millions of federal dollars, social service programs and Congressional representation at stake, the response rate to this year’s Census is of high priority for many local leaders.

“In the last census, a large portion of North St. Louis County fell into the hard-to- count or undercounted categories,” said Rebecca Zoll, vice president and CEO of North County Inc., a regional development organization.

Zoll said for each person not counted, it’s estimated that it costs the municipality $1,200.  Over ten years, that’s $12,000 per person of federal dollars not reaching the community.

According to the Census Bureau’s website, hard-to-count areas may experience hidden or overcrowded housing, low response rate in the previous Census, populations that speak little or no English, students living in off-campus apartments, new immigrant populations or people displaced by natural disasters.  Unfortunately, often those living in these deemed hard-to-count areas are often in greatest need of the federal funds and social programs applied to the populations based on Census results.

Mayor Robert Lowry of Florissant said it is estimated that nearly 15 percent of Florissant residents were not counted in the 2000 Census.

“We have to get up to as much as 100 percent [response rate] or it will hurt the people of the city,” Lowry said.

With financial help from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (AARA), the Census Bureau has developed partnerships with community leaders and organizations to increase the response rate in hard-to-count locations.

North County Inc. began its partnership with the Census Bureau in July 2009.  Through the partnership, the organization has distributed cloth shopping bags filled with fliers about the Census to local food banks.  The organization is also working with local school districts to provide information about the Census to students and parents.

Zoll said many school districts are incorporating lessons regarding the questionnaire into the social studies curriculum . “Local schools are participating in this because they understand they will be impacted,” said Zoll.

Creative methods are being used by municipalities across  North  County to spread the message to citizens.  City Clerk Colleen Klos  of Hazelwood, said she has book bags stuffed with Crayons, candy, rulers, Frisbees and a letter from the Census Bureau.  She plans to distribute the bags to each kindergarten student in the city of Hazelwood in January.

Both Black Jack and Florissant are using their local cable access stations to broadcast information about the 2010 Census.  On Oct. 17, 2009, comedian and filmmaker Mark Malkoff helped stuff U.S. Census promotional bags in Hazelwood as a part of his “Key to the City” tour.  Malkoff visited three mayors within the Greater St. Louis area to partake in community service.

This year’s Census form is one of the shortest since the first questionnaire was distributed in 1790.   Officials hope the simplistic and short form will encourage U.S. citizens to fill out and return the survey.

“It really doesn’t take a lot of time to complete them,” said Mayor Norm McCourt of Black Jack. “We’re doing our part and hopefully everybody will do their part and we’ll get a good count.”

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