Hopefully, this headline caught your eye! What am I talking about? Well at last night’s MBCA meeting, Yvonne Parrish, Chair of the 2010 Census Complete Count Committee of Putnam County told us how we shot ourselves in the foot in 2000 by over 40 percent of the population not responding to the Census.
So, what’s the big deal? It’s just some numbers for those bureaucrats in Washington! WRONG! The census is used to allocate funding by the Federal Government for all funds. So, if you don’t complete the census forms, we all lose funds that would come back to the state and local areas. From the 2000 Census, it’s estimated we lost at the rate of about $2,200 per person per year.
State wide, Florida had a participation level of 55%. What could we have done with that extra money. Just remember, there are over 70,000 people in Putnam County alone, according to the 2000 Census. You do the math, but the amount of lost revenue is staggering.
Forms are to be mailed about March 15th, be on the lookout for them. It’s been simplified and there are only 10 questions on the standard “short form.” A few people, selected at random, will receive the “long form.” Also, they only mail to people with physical addresses, post office boxes are NOT mailed to. So, we all need to do our part and make sure those census forms are completed and returned. Thanks, Yvonne for an interesting and informative presentation.
Well, we had about 37 or so people brave the cold to come out. We appreciate all of you taking the time to attend. We trust it was worth your time. And, we thank the school and their staff for making the facility available to us.
At last night’s meeting Jill McGuire, President of the Santa Fe Lake Dwellers, told about the “Rally for the Rivers” which kicked off with a Public Hearing starting at 8:30 on Friday morning at the Quality Inn Riverfront in downtown Palatka. Can you imagine me trekking off to Palatka, almost “before breakfast’ for an 8:30 meeting?
Well, Susan and I did along with a whole bunch of other folks including several from Melrose, Keystone and environs. Some names I recall include, Mary Lou Hildreth, Mayor of Keystone; Jill McGuire, Kathy Cantwell, Joyce King, Walter Cole, Hannah Price plus numerous others. Other attendees included Putnam County Commissioners Chip Laibl and Kenny Eubanks, former Commissioner Linda Myer and husband, Vernon Myers. The large meeting room just off the lobby was full of people.
The “Rally for the Rivers” is sponsored by the Putnam County Environmental Council. From this turnout in spite of the early hour and weather, they’re off to a great start. Karen Ahlers, President and their team are to be commended for sponsoring this event.
So, what drew so many people to Palatka to start the day, not just the “Rally.” The “Public Hearing” was held by the Florida Senate Select Committee on Florida’s Inland Water Resources. Two hours were allocated for the hearing and the Committee heard from 50 different people representing various organizations and concerned citizens. The consensus was we need better protection over our natural resources and to not export our water to other areas.
It’s most encouraging to see so many people and different organizations taking an active role in voicing the concerns of the majority to protect what we have before it’s too late.
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