2010 Census arriving in mailboxes soon

The 2010 Census should arrive in Snohomish and Island counties’ mailboxes over the next two weeks, resplendent with several improvements.

“There’s no long form this year,” said Bob Pederson, Island County planning director.

Instead, every household should be able to quickly complete the short form.

“It should only take about 10 minutes to complete,” Pederson said.

And, it’s confidential and easier than ever this year, said Pederson, loaded with resources, including toll free help lines and language assistance. The goal is to have every household complete the census.

“This is a very important tool that only becomes available once each decade,” Pederson said.

The census is especially important in this year’s economy, for distribution of federal funds.

“We receive about $1,400 per person,” Pederson said.

Population is also the basic building block for planning many aspects of the community, Pederson said, including road construction, future planning and development projects and utilities.

This time, though, there’s even more at stake: Washington state may get a 10th congressional seat in the U.S. Congress – a big incentive to record an accurate population count.

Pederson said everyone involved has worked to make the process as simple as possible for residents. The rest is up to them.

Censuses are due back April 1.

Staff Reporter Jeremiah O’Hagan: 629-8066 ext. 125 or ohagan@scnews.com.