An Accurate Census Count Is Vital for Ulster County
Residents
will soon receive forms for completing the 2020 U.S. Census, most
likely via email. We should all understand the importance of an
accurate Census Count to
our quality of life in our communities. Ulster County’s population was
dramatically underreported in the 2010 Census, so residents were hit
with underfunding for an array of grants and services: maintenance of
our roads; support for police and fire services;
Head Start and public schools funding; small businesses; wildlife;
housing and Section 8; family services; health care and Medicaid.
Property
taxes, too, are directly affected by Census numbers. Underfunded
services inevitably will be plugged by local tax bills. Where else will
the money come from?
It’s critical that all of us complete the 2020 Census questionnaire and
make sure our neighbors, friends, and families do so. Let’s be sure
that our second homeowner neighbors get the message, too. They spend
time here because they, too, love Ulster’s outdoors, its communities,
its people. Must second homeowners spend the majority
of their time here in order to designate Ulster County as their
households for the census? Not necessarily. They might envision
spending even more time here in the next ten years. They might even
plan to retire here before 2030. Those second homeowners
are fully entitled to choose Ulster if they can anticipate spending
greater amounts of time here and want to help enhance the quality of
life here. If your neighbors are renters in New York City and own a home
in Ulster County, choosing Ulster for their primary
home for the 2020 Census has the most direct impact on our school and
property taxes.
Using
census data for grants and reimbursements, New York City benefits from
its high-density demographics. Ulster County does not.
The
best means of publicizing the importance of a complete population and
housing count for the 2020 Census is neighborhood by neighborhood.
Spring is coming soon. Let’s get out and talk over
the fence, knock on a few doors, and give Ulster County a boost that
comes only once every ten years.
Publishing history:
Daily Freeman
NP Times
Shawangunk Journal 3/5/20
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