Jourdanton council approves committee for 2020 census




At a special called meeting on Nov. 4, the Jourdanton City Council voted unanimously to approve a 2020 Complete Count Committee to assist for the 2020 Census. In attendance were Mayor Robert “Doc” Williams and council members Raul Morales, Jack R. Harrison, Chester Gonzales, Karen Pesek and Johnnie Goetzel.

Mayor Williams explained the census count is mandated by the federal government and the city is to help. He emphasized the importance of getting all residents to fill out the census and made suggestions, such as opening up the library.

Mayor Williams had already spoken to Jourdanton ISD Superintendent Theresa McAllister, about serving on the committee. She was present at the meeting.

The mayor read a list of others he would like to see on the committee, such as heads of community organizations, Chamber of Commerce members, Lions Club, Knights of Columbus, representatives from faith-based organizations. Others who could serve on the committee include those from philanthropic organizations, heads of business associations and more.

Along with visiting different churches to talk to congregations, especially important is having the school on board, said Mayor Williams, as Jourdanton ISD has 1,618 students.

By April 1, 2020, every home should receive an invitation to participate in the 2020 Census. Once you receive your invitation, you should respond for your home by one of three ways:

•Online

•By phone

•By mail

Later in the year, the Census Bureau will begin visiting homes that have not responded to the 2020 Census, to make sure everyone is counted.

“What a lot of people don’t realize is, for the city of Jourdanton, we were standing at about 3,700 back at the last census, and we’ve had people move in, people move out, but there are still more people here then what left,” Mayor Williams said.

Bailey said he had been block walking, and yes, there are a lot people in this town.

“If we have a better count of how many people are here… Say for example, if we have over 5,000 people in town, we can go to a different level of government for the city. It also helps us when we go looking for grants,” said Williams.

City Manager Lamar Schulz added, “A lot of the grants right now, we will not qualify for, due to the last census.”

Another vital piece of information the city needs is the average income of residents, as the chances of grants increase when there is a true count of average income.

Mayor and council further discussed asking the school to send notices home to parents in February, about the importance of filling out the census.

Council also voted unanimously to allow Mayor Williams to get with the necessary people and set a date to have the first meeting for the 2020 Complete Count Committee.

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