Inform the public, Board of Supervisors and City Council about the importance of local participation in Census 2020, and answer questions related to funding, City-County-federal government coordination, Complete Count Committee formation, and outreach.

The decennial Census is important to local governments throughout the United States because it helps our community get its fair share of the more than $675 billion per year in federal funds spent on schools, hospitals, roads, public works and other vital programs. Federal funds, grants, and support to states, counties, and communities are based on population totals and breakdowns by sex, age, race and other factors. The community benefits the most when the census counts everyone. Businesses use census data to decide where to build factories, offices, and stores, and this creates jobs. Developers use the census to build new homes and revitalize old neighborhoods. Local governments use the census for public safety and emergency preparedness. Residents use the census to support community initiatives involving legislation, quality-of-life and consumer advocacy (Source Census 2020 website). Detailed operational plans for the Census can be viewed on their webpage:

http://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/decennial-census/2020-census/planning-management/op-plans.html

In Arizona, funding allocations from the federal government are based on the Census and are approximately $1,979 per capita. These funds are transferred to the State for transportation, to the State and local school districts to fund education and nutrition programs, and to senior and low-income households to support families. There is not a straight linear relationship between federal funding and the population but the relative population of each State is used to determine the representation in the House and is used by many federal programs for determining the State level allocation of the total money available nationwide. See Attachment A for more information.

Local jurisdictions throughout Arizona are preparing to support Census 2020 operations. Coconino County and the City of Flagstaff each have an assigned Census coordinator and have started forming a local government and Complete Count Committee (Community Census Team) to support the Local Update of Census Addresses (LUCA) and in anticipation of forming sub-committees to carry out the specific strategies of the Community Census Team to ensure a complete count of all residents of Coconino County. The City and County have already prepared data to cross-reference with the Census geographic boundaries and address databases. LUCA data was transmitted to both agencies at the beginning of March and is due back to the federal government within 120 days. See Attachment B for more information on LUCA.

Local government involvement in Census 2020 preparation is very important. Prior to Census 2010, there was federal funding available for this work, but that will not be the case for Census 2020. The City and County Census coordinators have submitted budget requests for funding to support Census activities and outreach at a cost of approximately $2 per person expected to be counted. Attachment C provides a summary of how Census 2010 and Census 2020 are different.

The Community Census Team (Complete Count Committee) is established by county and local governments, community leaders and volunteers to increase awareness about the 2020 Census and to motivate residents in their communities to fill in and return their Census forms. They provide high-level oversight for Census 2020 participation, provide "trusted voices" to counter misinformation and mistrust, serve as knowledgeable contact points, and provide "boots on the ground" to support outreach and promotion of self-reporting to the Census. See Attachment D for more information on CCCs.

The Census coordinators for the County and City are proposing an Informal Framework committee with various subcommittees to be termed the Community Census Team.  This framework would include:

• Quarterly Updates to Management Team consisting of a Board of Supervisor representative, Mayor or Council member, and the County and City Manager who will provide direction to coordinators and provide oversite of expenditures of County/City dollars.
• A geographic area will be inclusive of all of Coconino County
• Sub-committee efforts will be based on local demographics and expected self-response rates and may include activities such as:

To accomplish these tasks across a broad portion of the targeted population, the Census Bureau recommends that the Community Census Team have subcommittees, such as:

• Government- provides resources and staff to support the CCT
• Education- Local school districts, Charters, Head Start, CCC, NAU etc.
• Faith-based organizations
• Media Relations
• Community-based organizations
• Businesses
• Recruiting-advertises job opening with the Census and availability of training

The Community Census Team may also review the Participant Statistical Area Program (PSAP), which determines the boundaries of Census tracts, blocks and block groups. See Attachment E on PSAP.
 
It is up to the City and County to determine the framework, roles, and participation in the Community Census Team. The presentation today will introduce these concepts and staff will follow up at future work sessions with both governing bodies to seek further direction. Attachment F: provides a broad timeline for Census 2020 key dates.