Bureau gearing up for 2010 census

SANDPOINT — John Keller wants to count people.

That is why the former maintenance man is looking for a job with the U.S. Census Bureau.

He has a concern.

“Safety,” Keller said.

He is at the Idaho Department of Labor office at 2101 W. Pine to get information on the next test date for potential census workers and to have some questions answered.

Keller is among many area residents who stop at the lobby of the labor department’s Sandpoint office to speak with Sharon, a U.S. Census Bureau employee whose job is to answer questions.

Most of the people who stand in front of her desk are looking for work, she said.

“They ask about census jobs,” said Sharon, who declined to give her last name due to census policy.

Others, however, come in looking for answers regarding their census forms and the questions cover a variety of situations from how to account for college students who live at home part time, to dealing with additional people who moved into a home after a census form has already been completed and mailed back.

“There are a lot of different scenarios,” she said.

In an effort to make filling out forms easier, the US Census Bureau opened offices throughout the state to deal with questions that are not always black and white.

n How old must children be before they are counted?

n If a displaced family moves into my home before April 1, do I count them in my census form?

n My children live at college and only come home on weekends. Should I account for them on my census form?

Sharon takes the questions in stride, carefully explaining and providing help that douses the kindled fire of apprehension.

“I can answer most of the questions most of the time,” she says.

If not, she refers people to the Boise office.

By noon, Tuesday, Bonner County had the lowest participation rate in the county with 47 percent of residents having completed and returned their census forms. In Boundary County, 53 percent had mailed in their forms compared to 60 percent in Kootenai County, 57 percent in Benewah and 56 percent in Shoshone County.

“Bonner County is not doing too bad,” StacyAnn McBain, a media specialist with the bureau, said.

The national average is 50 percent.

Returned applications — recorded in the most recent data, come from the households who fill the paperwork out by deadline day.

“We’re talking people who we don’t have to chase down, knock on their doors, knock on neighbor’s door to get this information,” McBain said.

Enumerators, like Keller, if he passes the test slated Friday at 12:30 p.m. at the Sandpoint Library, will resort to the hands-on tactics.

After April 1, he could be part of the fleet of enumerators to collect the forms in person from households that failed to respond to questionnaires.

In some cases, however, glitches account for failed returns.

“So far, problems have been more with distributing forms,” McBain said.

“For example imperfections in your address. We had some forms get sent back dealing with that.”

Mandated by the Constitution, Census Day in the U.S. is April 1 and comes around every 10 years.

The data gathered by workers, determines legislative and congressional district boundaries, and more than $400 million is distributed annually to pay for programs including free lunch for low-income students, vocational training, road construction and emergency services, according to the bureau.

The questionnaire assistance center at the Sandpoint labor department office offers forms in a variety of languages including Korean, Vietnamese, Spanish and Russian and is open Monday from 11:30 to 4:30 p.m., Tuesday from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. and Wednesday from 11:30 to 4:30. Sharon is also available to answer questions at the Clark Fork library from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Thursday and Friday. The Priest River center is located at 219 Main Ave.

People who have taken the census exam and who have not been called to work as enumerators should take the test again, Sharon said.

“If you can, take the test over,” she said. “The closer you score to 100 the better your chance of getting called.”

After the process began last year an enumerator in North Idaho was held at gunpoint.

It worries Keller a little, but, “I’m a pretty good judge of situations,” he said. “I would tread lightly.”