North Mason Chamber of Commerce :: 2010 Census

Time is getting short, so let's get to the point: It is crucial to our community that we all respond to the Census, early and completely. The North Mason Library is a questionnaire assistant center and a "Be Counted Site" for the census. Read on to learn why the 2010 US Census is important to Mason County.

Ours is a rural county and so hard to count. We also have hard to count non-English-speaking, homeless, and undocumented communities that draw from county resources. Many of us live down long unmarked roads and tend to mistrust government - also hard to count. This all means our Census count will be low, affecting our bottom line.

• Mason County had a 37% mail back response rate in the 2000 Census. It costs $18 million tax dollars to raise the rate 1%, nationwide, by collecting information door-to-door, up to six times per residence.

• The Federal Government distributes $436 BILLION PER YEAR of OUR TAX DOLLARS to communities like ours based on the Census count. In Mason County, that's over $1,000 PER PERSON PER YEAR! Dollars that support programs for small business, transportation, infrastructure, education, food banks, and emergency planning and assistance, to name just a few.

• Census forms will NOT be mailed to P.O. BOXES - that's 70-75% of Mason County. We will have BE COUNTED SITES around the county where people can pick up a form. If we mail forms back quickly, we can prevent Census takers from coming to our doors, saving money and privacy.

• Our Representation in Congress hangs in the balance. We must grow our representation, and draw legislative districts, along with our population. This count affects the next 10 years of decision-making.

Faith in Action Exec Director, Patti Kleist, among others, partnered with the Census to help bring this message to our community. We ask that the Chamber members be partners, as well. We need our numbers to reflect who we are. Pass on the word, and ask that your constituents also pass it on.

SAFE: Personal info is protected by law for 72 years (including from law and tax enforcement, Congress, etc). EASY: Only 10 Questions DATES: Mail-out begins mid-March 2010
www.2010Census.gov

FOR MORE MASON COUNTY INFO:
Alex Grinenko 360-490-9360 alexgrin@copper.net Wendy Mathews 360-689-4619 businesswom@gmail.com