CENSUS COUNTDOWN

"Countdown to Census 2000" is under way.

"We're halfway through the process," says Henry Palacios, Regional Census Director, U.S. Department of Commerce, Bureau of the Census-Kansas City.

Palacios was guest speaker at the Cape Girardeau Chamber of Commerce's Friday Coffee.

The Census Bureau's deadline is to have the count to the president by December 31, 2000.

The census is important said Palacios, who has participated in two previous census counts, both in New York.

"The census is about money and power," he said. Representation is Congress is determined by the census. Redistricting for U.S. Representative will take place in April of 2001.

Reapportionment for U.S. Representatives will be determined, based on the new population figures in April of 2001. The goal is to have each legislator represent approximately the same number of constituents.

As for the money, the government uses statistics and information gathered by the census bureau to provide funding for a number of programs to various areas.

Palacios said the U.S. Census is made up of four major phases: compilation of an address list, block canvassing, mailing of census forms and adjustments.

Two of the four phases of the census have been completed.

The Cape Girardeau office is in the process of opening at 2751 Thomas -- the former Elks Club Building. Ellen Brandom has been named local office census manager.

Palacios, who has participated in two previous census counts, 1980 and 1990, said preparations for the third phase of the $4.8 billion census count are now under way.

"We'll be mailing out census questionnaires in March," he said. "Meanwhile, we're in the process of establishing local offices and hiring people to help with the final push."

Census workers will increase dramatically in the next few months, Palacio said, from the 7,000 workers normally utilized by the bureau to peak numbers of about 800,000.

Something new has been added for the 2000 census.

"We'll start a national advertising campaign in October, to make people aware of the coming questionnaires," said Palacios. "Advertising will continue into April of 2000, urging people to return the questionnaires.

The questionnaires are available in six languages, including English, Spanish and Chinese.

"The advertising is expensive," said Palacios, but so is the cost of chasing questionnaires which are not returned.

"We estimated it costs us about $25 million over every one percent of questionnaires which are not returned. When you figure that cost on 40 percent, take 40 times $25 million."

Estimates of the U.S. population range from 274 million to 278 million for the year 2000. The U.S. is not expected to hit the 300 million mark until the year 2007.

Missouri could go from about 5.3 million to 5.5 million; Illinois could go from 11.8 million to aboaut 12.1 million; and Kentucky could go from 2.8 million to 3.9 million.

The U.S. Census Bureau will send out 120 million census questionnaires in March of next year, "and hope for the best," said Palacios.

Bureau officials expect about 60 to 65 percent returns.

That's when the real census jobs start, checking out those 35 to 40 million questionnaires that were not returned.