Title
Establishing the creation of a St. Paul - Ramsey County 2020 Census Joint Complete Count Committee.
Body
WHEREAS, The United States Constitution directs a decennial census count of all persons living in the United States; and
WHEREAS, the Census is a count of all residents living in the United States; and
WHEREAS, census data is used to allocate billions of dollars in federal assistance to state and local governments for highways, hospitals, schools, public transportation and health programs; and
WHEREAS, Complete, accurate census data is of critical importance to all residents of City of Saint Paul and Ramsey County for equal political representation, fair distribution of federal and state funding, and sound planning and investment in infrastructure, real estate, business development, and public policy and programming; and
WHEREAS, in the 2010 Census, Minnesota’s response rate was 81% while Saint Paul’s census return rate was 79% and Ramsey County’s was 82%; and
WHEREAS, Broad areas of Ramsey County are at risk of being undercounted, with over half of the county’s census tracts having predicted mail response rates lower than 80% and ten tracts within the geographic boundaries of Saint Paul having predicted census response rates of less than 70%, lower than the state’s 2010 response rate as a whole; and
WHEREAS, Ramsey County and Saint Paul are home to large populations of people who, historically, have been disproportionately undercounted, including people of color, low-income households, students, non-English speaking people, and immigrants, with ----- 64,056 of Saint Paul residents being foreign born; and
WHEREAS, the proposed addition of a question on citizenship status to the 2020 Census is widely expected to depress census response rates even further, as foreign-born residents and their families may avoid participation for fear that census data could be used to deport or otherwise target respondents and/or their family members; and
WHEREAS, achieving a complete and accurate census count will require extensive work to increase awareness about the census and motivate residents to fill in and return their census forms; and
WHEREAS, The U.S. Census Bureau will require partners at the state and local level to complete this work and encourages the formation of local-level Complete Count Committees to educate residents about how the census works, the importance of an accurate, complete count, and the confidentiality of census data; and
WHEREAS, historically, the hard to reach groups include: communities of color, immigrants, limited English speakers, renters, the homeless population, residents of group homes, and college students; and
WHEREAS, the establishment of a Complete Count Committee jointly chaired by the City of Saint Paul and Ramsey County will provide the opportunity for close coordination, collaboration and enable us to use our resources most efficiently to focus on areas and communities that are historically undercounted and at risk of being undercounted in 2020; and
WHEREAS, the City of Saint Paul and Ramsey County will invite and encourage all municipalities in Ramsey County to join the Complete Count Committee as members, as well as community partners, educational institutions, and faith based organizations who can provide local knowledge and expertise to reach out to all people in our community; and
WHEREAS the Ramsey County-Saint Paul Joint Complete Count Committee will also work with the Census Bureau and the State of Minnesota to work toward an accurate count; and now, Therefore, Be It
RESOLVED, the City of Saint Paul in partnership with the Ramsey County Board of Commissioners, will establish a Ramsey County-Saint Paul Joint Complete Count Committee for the 2020 Census.