Grand Rapids pushes census count

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) - The City of Grand Rapids has launched an all-out effort to make sure residents get counted.

Working with the US Census office, Grand Rapids officials have formed six subcommittees aimed at getting to different groups in the community to participate in the count.

"This is a critical task for us," said Haris Alibasic, an administrative analyst at city hall.

The groups will work on outreach programs to the city's many ethnic and religious communities. Those programs will include public service announcements and information tables set up at events, like the upcoming Home and Garden Show.

Census Question Assistance Centers are being set up in libraries and other community gathering places in the city.

Census numbers help decide how legislative districts are drawn, the distribution of state and federal funds to communities and help forecast transportation needs.

The federal government allocates $4 billion to states based on census numbers.

The bureau is still looking for census workers, especially those with foreign language skills. If you're interested, call (866) 861- 2010.