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HomeMy WebLinkAbout08-04-09 Meeting of 2010 Census Complete Count Committee minutes City of La Porte Census 2010 Complete Count Committee Minutes of August 4, 2009 Committee Members Present: Herman Berges Charlie Perry Vickie Campise Don Hill Manley Boudreaux Jeanne Zemanek T. J. Walker Henry Newsom Susan Robinson Marie Meehan Earl Ehlers Committee Members Absent: Lou Ann Martin Paula Swearingen Jesse Garcia Ernest Escobar Mike Cooksley Sherry Lowe Sarah Lindeen Others in Attendance: Gabe Howell, Census Bureau Partnership Specialist Staff Members Present: Masood Malik, City Planner and Peggy Lee, Office Coordinator 1. Call to order. Meeting called to order by Chairman Don Hill at 6:02 p.m. 2. Roll call of members. Marie Meehan - Director of a drug/alcohol recovery center for women. Herman Berges - works at a local tax office and with the cemetery association. Gabe Howell- Census Bureau Partnership from Galveston Earl Ehlers - Harris County Precinct 2 Parks Charlie Perry - retired, active member of the La Porte Community Civic Club Jeanne Zemanek - served on the 2000 Census Committee, actively involved with the Chamber and numerous committees, recently retired from the homeowner's association. T. J. Walker - self employed, lives in Lomax area, just beginning volunteer service. Henry Newsom - 5-year La Porte resident, recently ran for office. Vickie Campise -17-year La Porte resident, owner of antique shop on Main Street. Don Hill- community involvement including Inter-Faith Council. Susan Robinson - La Porte resident. Masood Malik and Peggy Lee - City staff members serving as committee liaison and coordinator. 3. Introduction of new committee members. Marie Meehan and Henry Newsom were welcomed during roll call. Manly Boudreaux was present for a brief period to announce his resignation from the committee, due to a conflict with his schedule. 4. Consider approval of June 30, 2009, meeting minutes. Motion by Earl Ehlers to approve the June 30, 2009, meeting minutes. Second by TJ. Walker. With all in favor, the minutes were approved as presented. Complete Count Committee Minutes of August 4, 2009 Page 2 of 2 Herman Berges mentioned a discussion that occurred after the meeting had adjourned about the possibility of conducting the meetings in the Conference Room. He also suggested distributing nametags to identify members. Due to limited seating in the Conference Room, it was decided that for now the Committee would continue to meet in the Council Chambers. Jeanne Zemanek volunteered to make nametags for the members. 5. Assignment and responsibilities of subcommittees. Mr. Malik spoke about the chart of subcommittees the Census Bureau offers as a guide for cities. After discussion it was agreed the Committee as a whole would collectively fulfill the roles of the subcommittees and re-evaluate at a later date if the need arises. 6. Discuss setting up booths at upcoming Health Fairs for the City and the School District. Mr. Malik reported the City of La Porte will be hosting their annual employee health fair September 10th from 9:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m. at the Recreation and Fitness Center. Although not for certain, he thought the School District's health fair was planned for the week before. Booth space has been reserved for the Committee at the City's health fair. Members volunteering to work the booth include Jeanne Zemanek, Susan Robinson, Charlie Perry, Vickie Campise, Herman Berges, Marie Meehan, and Don Hill. City Staff will set-up the booth; committee members will coordinate schedules to cover the event. Committee members were asked to start brainstorming ways to get the word out about the Census, i.e. schools, daycare, newspaper. Gabe Howell answered the Committee's general questions about the Census. Henry Newsom will look into getting shirts with the Census logo donated for the booth workers. 7. Administrative Reports Mr. Malik reported City Council recently appointed two additional members to the Committee: Henry Newsom and Jesse Garcia, as well as ex-officio members Ken Bays and David Stall, City Administrators for the Cities of Morgan's Point and Shoreacres. The next meeting will be held September 1st. 8. Committee comments A. Matters appearing on agenda None. B. Inquiry of staff regarding specific factual information or existing policy. None. 9. Adjourn The meeting adjourned at 6:50 p.m. Prepared by Peggy Lee, Planning Department Office Coordinator Sample Activities of Local Complete Count Committees 2008-2009 Develop a list of barriers or concerns that might impede the progress of the 2010 Census in your local area, such as recent immigrants, non-English speaking groups, high crime areas, and communities with gated residents. Explore ways/activities to address or overcome those barriers. Create ways to dispel myths and alleviate fears about the privacy and confidentiality of census data. Place census messages in water bills, property tax bills, and other correspondence generated by the jurisdiction. Develop and implement activities to involve local government employees in 2010 Census awareness campaign. Encourage corporations to become official sponsors of your census activities. Have census banners, posters, and other signage placed in highly visible public locations. Include the 2010 Census logo and message on bus schedules, brochures, newsletters, and your local jurisdiction Web site. Sponsor a census booth at county fairs, carnivals, and festivals (especially cultural or ethnic celebrations) . Sponsor a contest to design a sticker or poster promoting the 2010 Census. Have census information available during voter registration drives. January-March 2010 Add a census message to all meetings, events, and correspondence. Provide information on federally funded programs that have benefited the community. Plan a major promotional event around the mailout of census questionnaires. Saturate public access areas with easy-to read and understandable census information customized for your community. Ask elected officials to encourage residents to complete and return questionnaires immediately. Place a census message on all municipal marquees urging residents to complete and return their questionnaires. April 2010 Place public service announcements in local media encouraging residents to cooperate with census workers.