Bella Vista is getting ready for the upcoming census and looking for some help from the general public.
City clerk Wayne Jertson is looking for citizens to serve on a Complete Count Committee to spread information and help ensure Bella Vista receives a complete and accurate count.
This will not require much time, he said, including three or four meetings.
Anyone interested in getting involved can reach Jertson at [email protected], or call city hall at (479)876-1255.
"It's very important. There's a tremendous growth between the 2010 census and now," he said.
Population data produced by the census is used to determine how much federal funding is available to communities across the nation, he said.
Additionally, Mayor Peter Christie has previously stated that Bella Vista's primary source of income is county sales tax turnback, which is divided among cities based on their proportion of Benton County's population. With how much the area has grown, he said, it's important for Bella Vista to get an accurate count because an incomplete count could lead to a decline in funding.
Jertson said he's working closely with the U.S. Census bureau to get information out.
The 2020 census will begin April 1 next year, he said, and counts need to be in by Dec. 31, 2020.
This will be the first census where residents may respond online, by phone or by mail.
Census data is not shared with any other government agency, he said, and residents should feel safe reporting their information to the bureau.
General News on 02/20/2019