RECOMMENDATION(S): (CONT'D)
District IV: Lauren Babb
District V: Lynn Reichard-Enea
FISCAL IMPACT:
No fiscal impact. Members of the Steering Committee receive no compensation.
BACKGROUND:
The Board of Supervisors, on December 18, 2018, authorized the establishment of a Complete Count Steering Committee to guide the County's 2020 Census outreach effort. The charge of the Committee is to:
- Set clear, achievable goals and objectives;
- Identify areas of the community that may need extra outreach efforts, either a geographical area or a population group that might be hard to count;
- Use a “grassroots” approach to working with community-based organizations and groups who have direct contact with households who may be hard to count;
- Customize promotional materials for local area;
- Implement special events;
- Build awareness of the census and its benefits and motivate response through social media, newsletters, and other communications;
- Support and complete these tasks through the work of regional sub-committees in Central County, East County, South County, and West County;
- Develop a proposed Census 2020 budget for consideration by the Board of Supervisors by March 26, 2019.
The Complete Count Steering Committee is an ad hoc committee created for the limited duration of the 2020 Census effort. The Board appointed Supervisor Diane Burgis to chair the Steering Committee and to make recommendations to the Board on the Committee’s composition. The Committee will be composed of 15 members, including the Chair. Of these, 5 will be appointed representatives from each Supervisorial District, and 9 will be at-large members, all appointed by the Board of Supervisors. The 9 At-Large representatives are being recommended by the Internal Operations Committee in a separate action today. This action concerns the 5 Supervisorial District representatives.
Steering Committee members will be expected to serve as ambassadors for the 2020 Census within their region and/or across diverse sectors and communities countywide, and will need to think strategically about how to engage residents in hard to count populations, help to organize community events, communicate through their networks, and make presentations to community groups. They must be able and willing to commit the time required (estimated to be 5-10 hours/month) and regularly attend Complete Count Committee meetings, which will be held monthly in the afternoons. Periodic meetings will be held in the evening or on weekends. Steering Committee members will also be expected to interface with the four county regional Complete Count committees.
CONSEQUENCE OF NEGATIVE ACTION:
Due to the condensed start-up schedule and the need to develop a strategic plan and budget for Board adoption no later than April 9, any delay in forming the Steering Committee may jeopardize the County's ability to secure up to $362,605 in State funding to support the Complete Count effort.