PANEL STUDIES METHODS FOR CENSUS COUNT

It is a job description that aptly describes the task: Get a complete count of Cape Girardeau residents for the 2000 Census.

Fourteen people, including two city staff members, a councilman and the mayor, met Tuesday afternoon to talk about a complete count for the census.

Even though the census is nearly a year and a half away, it isn't too early to get started, city staff said. That is why they formed the Complete Count Committee to help with the task.

"We need to promote, talk about and identify people to make sure that everyone in the city of Cape gets counted when the census begins April 1, 2000," said John Mehner, president of the Chamber of Commerce and committee chairman.

A lot rides on getting an accurate count for the census, he said. Everything from congressional representation to federal grants and funding is determined by the census.

If everyone gets counted like they should, it could help Cape Girardeau get an urban area designation, Mehner said.

With the growth between Cape Girardeau, Jackson and Scott City, the area should qualify for a Metropolitan Statistical Area. And that MSA designation can help attract industries and even retail outlets, which mean jobs.

When census counters came to Cape Girardeau in 1990, the city appealed the official count, saying not everyone was counted. But the appeal was denied.

City Councilman Melvin Gateley said that is why the complete count effort is so important for 2000. It will show how Cape Girardeau has grown.

"It's like getting the vote out," he said. "We need to encourage people to fill out the forms and not throw them into the waste cans."

Official Census Day is April 1, 2000, when counters will begin walking the city's blocks and neighborhoods to count residents. Questionnaires that include demographic information will be mailed to residents as well. That information is used to calculate such detailed reports as average income per family, number of children per household, average age of homeowners and other statistics.

Census information is used for a variety of things, but getting an accurate count is the first step in the process.

"This census has a lot riding on it," Mehner said.

And getting that information compiled won't be an easy thing to do, said the Rev. David Allen. Allen worked for the U.S. Census Bureau last year helping to verify addresses in the county.

Often, the reason everyone isn't counted in a particular community is because houses have been demolished or new subdivisions added, and that information isn't available to census employees.

"Geographically, it's important that we have representation from many areas," Mehner said.

But that shouldn't be a problem in Cape Girardeau. City employees in the planning department have been checking and rechecking maps and addresses to make certain that every house and resident are accounted for.

The census bureau will open an office in the city this fall.

The regional director for the census bureau will speak at a First Friday Coffee meeting July 9 at the Show Me Center. Another meeting is set for June 29 at 4 p.m. at the Chamber of Commerce.

The committee includes:

-- John Mehner, president of the Cape Girardeau Chamber of Commerce.

-- Jim Settle of Southeast Missouri State University.

-- Tamara Zellars Buck, president of the Cape Civic Center.

-- Narvol Randol Jr. of Bank of Missouri.

-- Steve Del Vecchio, business manager for the Cape Girardeau School District.

-- The Rev. Paul Short, pastor of St. Andrew Lutheran Church.

-- Don Sherwood, Area Wide United Way board member.

-- Martha Vandivort, Cape Girardeau County Emergency Operations Center.

-- Michael Miller, city manager.

-- Walter Denton, assistant city manager.

-- J.J. Williamson, insurance agent and former city councilman.

-- Melvin Gateley, city councilman.

-- The Rev. David Allen of the NAACP.

-- Kay Azuma of Caring Communities.

-- Mel Van de Ven of Schott and Van de Ven accountants.

-- Al Spradling III, mayor.