Westmoreland municipalities banding together before census

A little less than a year after the Westmoreland County Complete Count Committee was founded, officials are gearing up efforts to help municipalities prepare for the upcoming census.

“It’s federal funding; it’s state funding; it’s representation in Congress. The census number plays into all of that and we want Westmoreland County, as a whole, to be heard and be represented and to be able to receive those funds,” said Hempfield Township Manager Jason Winters, who is part of the committee.

With Census Day — April 1 — approaching fast, members of the committee are working to identify key areas within communities where they could provide census outreach. A survey sent to municipalities will provide contact information and whether there are any publications that could advertise the once-a-decade population count.

“There’s really two parts to it,” said Phil Koch, executive director of the Community Foundation of Westmoreland County. “One is to understand what resources they might need. The second piece is really to understand where in the community they see a hub of activity.”

Koch added that hub of activity will vary based on each community, and could range from the library to a bingo hall to the municipal building. Once those factors are determined, officials will look at which communities have higher poverty rates and historically hard-to-count populations.

Based on the poverty level, members of the Complete Count Committee could provide iPads to municipalities to help people who might not have access to a computer or the internet register for and fill out the census. This is the first census that can be completed online.

“Let’s say it’s a community where the fire hall is the place to go,” Koch said. “They may need an iPad in order to do their work. Let’s figure out where the epicenter of activity is, where people feel comfortable to go.”

Officials with the Complete Count Committee also fields subcommittees focused on education in local schools, government, business and nonprofits.

“I would have never thought to teach my fourth-grader the census,” Winters said. “It’s going to make mom and dad fill out the census.”

According to the committee’s recently launched website and social media sites, for every family of five that does not complete the census, the county loses $100,000 in funding. Officials plan to launch a social media campaign in the coming months.