Oakland County Looks to Gain Federal Money as 2010 U.S. Census Count is About to Begin

Waterford, Mich. – Dec. 30, 2009 – Oakland County Executive L. Brooks Patterson and U.S. Census Bureau officials are scheduled to meet with representatives from Oakland County communities to kick off the campaign to encourage everyone who lives in the county to participate in the 2010 Census. The federal program is entitled, “It’s in Our Hands.”

The kick off is set for Jan. 5, 2010 at 10 a.m. in the Conference Center of the Executive Office Building, 2100 Pontiac Lake Road, Waterford. Representatives from each of the county’s 61 cities, villages and townships have been invited as well as local and state elected officials. The media is encouraged to attend.

It is vitally important for Oakland County and Michigan to count all residents since undercounting costs the state $1,000 per person per year in lost funding for schools, roads, housing and other programs.  Every year the federal government distributes more than $400 billion to state, local and tribal governments based on census data. The data is also used to determine the number of seats each state will have in the U.S. House of Representatives.

The 2010 Census form asks 10 questions and takes about 10 minutes to complete. Forms will be delivered or mailed to households in March 2010. Census Day is April 1, 2010, the official day of the population count.