By Christine Davis
Quiet please. Counting calories is voluntary. Taking part in the census count is mandatory.
South Palm Beach’s ice cream social on Feb. 21 at Town Hall, offered an opportunity for free ice cream and cookies, free U.S. Census T-shirts and a free talk explaining the census.
“We have been pushing hard since day one — Jan. 6.” Town Councilman Donald Clayman said about his group of 16 volunteers.
“We want to make sure residents know how important it is. It will affect our congressional representation and Florida has millions to lose in federal funds, if enough people don’t fill out their census forms.”
Town Manager Rex Taylor asked Clayman to organize a volunteer group in conjunction with the National Census Bureau to ensure that South Palm Beach residents are informed on the census and its impact.
The federal government allocates $400 billion annually to states and communities based partly on census data. “That is money spent on infrastructure, schools, hospitals — the Lantana bridge is an example,” Clayman said.
“We lost out on $160,000 in the last census,” adds Lee Zimmerman, a past councilman and vice mayor from 2002 to 2008, who was attending the social. “If we don’t fill out the forms correctly, we will lose out again.”
South Palm Beach is comprised of 1,849 condominium units, four single-family homes and one business: a hotel, the Palm Beach Oceanfront Inn, with 58 units. According to the University of Florida Bureau of Economic and Business Research estimates for 2009, South Palm Beach had a permanent population of 1,523. The town’s estimate of its seasonal is 3,200.
“Last Census, 45 percent of South Palm Beach residents filled out their forms,” Clayman said. “We are going for 80 percent this time.”
“If you are residing in South Palm Beach at the time of the census, we want you to fill out the forms for South Palm Beach. If you are a vacationer for a short period of time — two to three weeks — you would fill out your form at your permanent residence. You do not have to be a citizen. Anybody who resides at the house where the census form is delivered should be included on that form. An accurate count can do good for our community. It can help us get more services, which means a brighter future for everyone,” Clayman told the full house at the social.
South Palm Beach residents who have questions can find Clayman and volunteers wearing census T-shirts at Town Hall on Fridays during Bookmobile visits, from 10 a.m. to noon. Additional talks are scheduled to coincide with community events from 2 to 4 p.m. on March 7, 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. on March 9, 10 a.m.-noon on March 10 and 10 a.m.-noon on March 12.
These events are held at South Palm Beach Town Hall, 3577 S. Ocean Blvd., South Palm Beach. For information, call (561) 588-8889. Info for caption: “By March 10, the census forms are rolling out. Fill them out and get them in as fast as you can,” Town Councilman Donald Clayman told his audience, while giving out handouts covering census information and questions most frequently asked, as well as T-shirts that read, “United States Census 2010. It’s in our hands.”
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