TITLE: Title
Complete Count Committee and 2020 Census
PURPOSE: The purpose of this agenda item it to provide the Town Council with an update on the activities relating to the Complete County Committee and to help launch the 2020 Census for Orange County.
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DEPARTMENT: Planning, Economic Development, and Manager’s Office
CONTACT INFORMATION: Christina Moon - 919-918-7325; Patricia McGuire - 919-918-7327, pmcguire@townofcarrboro.org <mailto:pmcguire@townofcarrboro.org>; Annette Stone - 919-918-7319, astone@townofcarrboro.org <mailto:astone@townofcarrboro.org>Rachel Heggen - 919-918-7314, rheggen@townofcarrboro.org <mailto:rheggen@townofcarrboro.org>,
INFORMATION: Council member Foushee and representatives from three Town departments have been participating in the Complete Count Committee, a collaborative effort, to organize and facilitate the upcoming 2020 census for Orange County, North Carolina. The committee began meeting in the fall of 2019, to develop a comprehensive strategy that would ensure that residents understand the purpose of the census, how it is used, what to expect and, perhaps most important how to be counted.
A summary of the key information is as follows. The 2020 census is about to get underway. Mailed to each household, will be a census card with a number on it; the number is needed to complete the form. Census forms may be completed online, by phone or by paper form. Twelve census sites will be located throughout the county, including McDougle Middle School in Carrboro. Computers will be available at the various sites with sufficient assistance to help residents login. Census workers may not assist in the actual completion of the form. A list and location map of the twelve sites may be found at the following link: <https://www.orangecountync.gov/2302/Be-Counted-Sites>.
Only one card will be mailed to each household. Students living on campuses will be recorded by their school but students living off-campus as well as other households, where unrelated individuals share a residence, will need to work together to complete a single census form using number on the card mailed to that particular household.
Anticipated Timeline
• March 12-20, 2020 -- Census Bureau will mail invitations to respond <https://www.census.gov/library/visualizations/2019/comm/2020-everyone.html> to nearly every household in the country and activate the online response form.
• March 16-24, 2020 -- Reminder letters will be sent
• March 26-April 3, 2020 -- Reminder postcards sent to those who have not responded
• April 1, 2020 -- Census Day. You will fill out the questionnaire based on where you were living on this day.
• April 8-16, 2020 -- Reminder letter and paper questionnaire sent to those who have not responded
• April 20-27 -- Final reminder postcards sent before in-person follow-ups begin
• December 31, 2020 -- Final 2020 Census results will be delivered to the President of the United States
Additional information on the census, including a more detailed timeline as to when count totals may become available for use, please see the agenda materials from the June 11, 2019 Board of Aldermen meeting, available at the following link: (<https://carrboro.legistar.com/LegislationDetail.aspx?ID=3976631&GUID=0674CF6F-F6D9-4AD3-AF5F-08B14042612B&Options=ID|Text|&Search=census>).
Orange County has also assembled a webpage with at-a-glance factsheets and short film (please see the following link: <https://www.orangecountync.gov/2092/Census-2020>).
FISCAL & STAFF IMPACT: There is no fiscal impact with receiving this information.
RECOMMENDATION:r Staff recommends that the Town Council receive the update and formally announce the upcoming 2020 Census.