Ponca City: Census Challenge Is Up to Us

Story by: Carey Head / Ponca City Monthly Staff Writer

Kat Long makes a challenge to anyone who will listen:

“Give me a topic -- any topic -- and I can relate it back to the Census.”

Katherine Long, better known as Kat, is the Small Business and Information Coordinator for Ponca City Development Authority. It falls within her purview to help Kay County and Ponca City residents understand the importance of standing up to be counted for the United States 2020 Census.

“Our economic development in Ponca City is assisted by accurate population counts for Ponca City and Kay County. For workforce attraction and retention, people want to be in a thriving community.”

“Have kids? Do you drive on roads? Do you want to get older? Have you visited a park? All aspects of our community tie back to the census. Economic development, community development, education, health and human services, kids, seniors … every aspect of our lives can be tied back to the Census,” she explains.

The U.S. Census is conducted every 10 years. The 2020 Census will be the 24th nationwide population count. This is Long’s third Census to help orchestrate.

Participation in the Census is the law. It is mandated by the U.S. Constitution under Title 13 of the U.S. Code. Responding to the Census is more than the law; it makes dollars and cents for each resident in Ponca City and Kay County. Federal and state funding appropriations are informed by Census results.

“We have over $9 BILLION in government funding for the state of Oklahoma. So that’s where they got the number that every person in Oklahoma is worth $1,671 a year for the next 10 years. That’s a huge number. For Ponca City, that equals out to be $43 million per year,” Long said, “and then multiply that times 10.”

The 2010 Census determined Ponca City’s population was 25,387 people – a decline in population since the 2000 Census. In economic development-speak, our population was “trending down.” In the eyes of potential investors, this is not good.

“We’re growing, not shrinking!” Long declares. “We used to be a company town. Now we are a town with companies in it.

“We have a lot more regional and national (potential investors) looking at us than the public knows. People looking to open a business, invest in a community, can go and look online for information about that community. Census information is available 24/7. And we want it to be a good story. We want it to be trending UP for the next 10 years. So, a great 2020 Census will open so much more! Keep attracting new retail and restaurants, plus help small business grow and succeed.”

Long’s goal is to have a 95% Census questionnaire response rate. The 10-question survey can be answered online (Ponca City Library has free computer access), by telephone or by mail.

Because the Census is tied to addresses, not to names (P.O. Box renters will not receive a Census form in their box), those addresses shown as not having responded to reminder letters and postcards by April 27 will then trigger an in-person follow-up, also known as a Census Taker.

Long’s goal is for Ponca City’s population count to be at least 26,000 according to the 2020 Census.

“In 2010, 4% of Oklahoma’s children failed to be counted in the Census for a variety of reasons. If we just get all the kids counted, then we are golden,” she says.

When the 2020 Census comes up with a new population total for our town, the millions of federal and state tax dollars coming back to Ponca City per year will be adjusted.

Kat Long, Ponca City Development Authority, is spearheading the marketing effort, “I Count for Kay County” to educate and encourage every Kay County household to respond to the 2020 U.S. Census. She shares the common myths she’s encountered since work started last summer. In addition to her responses, information also is gathered from http://www.2020census.gov .

Myth: This is a new thing. I’ve never heard of it before.

Truth: The 2020 Census is the 24th Census to be conducted in the United States. “That’s 240 years of tradition,” says Long. The count is mandated by the Constitution and carried out by the non-partisan, stand-alone government agency, the U.S. Census Bureau.

Myth: The Census doesn’t affect me.

Truth: The 2020 Census will determine congressional representation and inform hundreds of billions of dollars in federal funding every year. From school lunch and Head Start programs to workforce training, supporting families in need and determining services for senior citizens, the 2020 Census will provide data that will impact Kay County and its citizens every day for the next decade.

Myth: You don’t have to fill out the Census form.

Truth: By law, you do.

The 2020 Census is conducted under the authority of Title 13, U.S. Code, Sections 141, 193 and 221. Everyone living in the United States and its five territories is required by law to be counted in the 2020 Census.

There are three ways to answer the 10-question Census before a Census Taker comes to your home: online, by telephone or by mail. It’s a short questionnaire about yourself and everyone who is or will be living with you on April 1, 2020.

Myth: Census information is tied to your name.

Truth: Information is tied to the residence, either a house or apartment, according to Long. The Census asks for people’s names living in your household to ensure that each household member is counted only once. Names, along with other information in the questionnaire, helps Census workers to correct the records if a person appears more than once in the count.

Myth: Other agencies will be able to track you through this information.

Truth: The United States Census Bureau is a stand-alone federal agency that, by law, cannot share information with other agencies. “No criminals are tracked. No deportations have happened due to Census information,” Long said. “Tax returns? Maybe. But not Census.”

The U.S. Census Bureau is bound by Title 13 of the U.S. Code to protect your answers and keep them strictly confidential. By law, the Census Bureau cannot release any identifiable information about you, your home, or your business, even to law enforcement agencies. Your private data is protected and your answers cannot be used against you by any government agency or court. Violating Title 13 is a federal crime punishable by imprisonment and/or a fine of up to $250,000.

Every employee takes an oath to protect your personal information for life.

Long adds, “Census information that includes the resident’s name is released after 72 years. In 2022, the information from the 1950 Census, including the resident names (and other identifiable information), will be released to the public for the first time. It’s very exciting for genealogists.”