Metro Atlanta gears up for census

By Leon Stafford

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

As it does every 10 years, the U.S. Census Bureau will begin counting every person in America beginning this March.

The question is, will metro Atlanta be ready?

A recent study by the Philadelphia-based Pew Charitable Trust found that some of the nation's largest cities, including Atlanta, may not be prepared.

The cities, including Atlanta, have no money set aside to help them get the word out. The study also found that some of the cities had not yet organized Complete Count Committees, the group that takes the lead in generating awareness of the census.

Greg Pridgeon, Mayor Shirley Franklin's Chief of Staff,  said the city's effort is just getting started. At a rally held Monday on the steps of City Hall, he said  the city named a committee late last month and will raise funds to educate people about the census. Pridgeon is the committee's chairman.

"It's not too late," he said. "There are a few cities ahead of us,  but we're going to get it done and we've got a lot of people who are working to make this happen."

Failure to act could have dire consequences. The decennial census count determines everything from representation in Congress and in state legislatures to federal grants aimed at helping the poor. At least $430 billion was sent to local governments and residents in fiscal 2008 based in whole or part on the census figures, the Pew study said.

And many believe the Atlanta region could pick up at least one Congressional seat based on the area's population growth, which has increased from roughly 4 million in 2000 to more than 5 million today.

"Everyone has a dog in this hunt," Tim Mescon, economist and president of Columbus State University, said.  "There is a universality in the census. We will all benefit from this."

Several DeKalb County leaders, including U.S. Rep. Hank Johnson, have hosted meetings on the census in recent weeks. Gov. Sonny Perdue last week appointed a 40-plus member Complete Count Committee for the state.

The challenge for metro Atlanta will be getting everyone counted.  Foreclosures will make it tougher to track down residents who may have moved elsewhere but still list their addresses in the city. In addition, the distrust in government has grown since the 2000 count, making it harder to get  the 10-question questionnaire returned, the Pew study found.

Pridgeon said Atlanta's  Complete Count Committee has sent out letters to fraternities, sororities, neighborhood groups, and churches to let people know the census is coming.

Complicating matters in Atlanta will be transitioning the process between Franklin's administration to that of a new mayor. Pridgeon said the census will remain  a priority for him, regardless of who is mayor.

Edward Davis, coordinator for the Atlanta region, which includes Georgia, Alabama and Florida, is confident the process will work itself out. He has been in touch with several leaders across the area and thinks there is more organization than appears.

"We're going to find them and count them," he said. "That's our mission."

And Mike Alexander, chief of research and geographic information systems for the Atlanta Regional Commission and a member of the state Complete Count Committee, said much of the hard work has already been done: canvassing the area for addresses. The ARC helped the census bureau define census boundary tracts in 2008, a critical part of streamlining the process, Alexander said.

"The computer technology is much better than it was 10 years ago, he said.