by Lloyd Payne, City Manager
Join us in the #Count4Cabarrus
Hello Concord. It is 2020 and in addition to spring approaching (did winter ever show up?), that means the US Census will be occurring this year. Census Day is April 1, 2020. You have three options for ensuring you and your family are accounted for – 1) online, 2) by phone, or 3) by mail. You might wonder why the US Census matters – there are several reasons why you should join in the #Count4Cabarrus.
The data collected determine fair political representation for each state in Washington, DC. North Carolina is among the fastest growing states and ensuring all who live here are counted could lead to an additional seat in the US House of Representatives. In addition, accurate Census information can aid in the planning by Federal, State, and local agencies for current and future services.
One of the most important reasons for all of us to be counted in the Census is due to Federal funding (over $16 billion for NC). According to the Census Bureau, more than $1,623 per person in Federal aid (and $205 in State aid) is distributed directly or indirectly in NC every years, based on the Census count. Your input (or lack thereof) can have a significant impact.
The US Census Bureau must complete the census by December 31, 2020 and submit their counts. The information you submit is confidential and will only be used to produce statistics. Your responses will not be used by law enforcement personnel or have any effect on your government benefits. Ever since the first Census was conducted in 1790, maintaining an accurate population count is a critical role of continuing a representative government. Please do your part and participate in the census in a timely fashion. If you want more information, go to census.nc.gov.
This is a great segue into this quarter’s City Core Value – Accountability. Accountability is defined as “We accept responsibility for our personal and organizational decisions and actions, while delivering cost-effective and efficient services that are done right the first time.”
We realize our individual actions impact not only us but also the organization as a whole. We will strive to hold ourselves accountable for our actions as we know this is not only your expectation but also the right thing to do. What we do or don’t do, matters. We want and need your feedback on decisions. We may not always agree on a certain decision, but your input is important to us. We realize we are fiduciary agents of your money. It is our responsibility to not be wasteful and continually look for ways to be cost effective while delivering the best service to you. We desire for our customer service to be efficient as we know your time is valuable. We will strive to be timely and accurate in our communication with you. Being pro-active and deliberate in our service is important.
Team Concord loves our City and strives each day to provide you the very best customer service. We are proud to partner with you each day and desire to serve you in the best possible ways. Let us know if you have experienced excellent customer service so we can recognize those employees appropriately – go to concordnc.gov/High5, call 704-920-6400, or fill out a nomination card in one of our facilities.