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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMinutes - Minutes - City Council - Meeting Date: 10/6/2009 *PLEASE NOTE: Since the Glendale City Council does not take formal action at the Workshops, Workshop minutes are not approved by the City Council. a, GLEE MINUTES OF THE GLENDALE CITY COUNCIL WORKSHOP SESSION Council Chambers—Workshop Room 5850 West Glendale Avenue October 06, 2009 1:30 p.m. PRESENT: Mayor Elaine M. Scruggs, Vice Mayor Manuel D. Martinez, and Councilmembers Joyce V. Clark, Steven E. Frate, David M. Goulet, Yvonne J. Knaack, and H. Phillip Lieberman ABSENT: None ALSO PRESENT: Cathy Gorham, Acting Deputy City Manager; Craig Tindall, City Attorney; and Pamela Hanna, City Clerk 1. 2010 CENSUS CITY STAFF PRESENTING THIS ITEM: Jessica Blazina, Intergovernmental Program Director This is a request for the City Council to provide guidance to staff regarding the proposed strategy for the 2010 census. This item addresses the Council strategic goal of a city that is fiscally sound thorough a census count that is critically important to ensure that Glendale receives its fair share of funds that are distributed based on population. As mandated by the United States Constitution, a census is conducted to count everyone living in the United States. In partnership with the U.S. Census, Glendale will be assisting to ensure that a thorough count of persons living in our community is completed by April 1, 2010. In addition to determining the number of congressional seats on a statewide basis, the census count is also used to distribute federal funds to local, state and tribal governments each year. Census revenue goes toward paying for essential city services such as police and fire protection, city parks, libraries, streets and roads. The higher the response rate on the 2010 U.S. Census for the city of Glendale, the more revenue the city receives to provide for these services. Schools and hospitals also receive funding based on the census count. Substantial public education is planned through specialized outreach to traditionally undercounted areas including, Public Service Announcements, presentations or information sharing at city events, neighborhood/district meetings and other organizational meetings. Partnership opportunities will also be discussed with organizations that interact with many Glendale residents such as Luke Air Force Base, Glendale Community College, Midwestern University and Thunderbird School of Global Management. Based on the 2010 budget approximately 46.6% of our $162 million General/Streets revenue budgeted funds are obtained as a result of distribution based on the U.S. Census data: State Income Tax $31,304,188 State Sales Tax $20,500,000 Highway Users Fund $14,100,000 Vehicle License Tax $9,729,724 Total $75,633,912 Total GF Revenue $162,297,841 (GF Revenue&HURF) Staff is requesting that council provide policy direction regarding the proposed census strategy. Ms. Jessica Blazina, Intergovernmental Program Administrator, provided an overview of this item. She stated that Census Bureau brochures will be utilized throughout Maricopa County in February and March of 2010 to ensure consistent messaging for the effort. She indicated that the new questionnaire has been modified with only ten questions which will take approximately ten minutes to complete. The form is in both English and Spanish. Census Day is April 1, 2010 and any households not returning mailed questionnaires will be visited by census takers. She explained that the city works in conjunction with the U.S. Census Bureau and with regional and national efforts to reach the greatest number of residents in order to provide education about the 2010 census. They are also following a national timeline established by the Census Bureau. The city has partnered with the Maricopa Association of Governments to leverage funding to insure the city gets the most "bang for their buck" in terms of media outreach. She included a copy of the Census Brochure that is being used as part of the MAG partnership. She stressed that the information provided by residents was confidential, secured and protected by federal law. Ms. Blazina stated that the city has embarked on a 2010 Census Strategic Action Plan. Their mission is to increase the city's census 2010 questionnaire mail-back response rate through significant community outreach and a strong focus on the hard to count/undercount areas as indentified from the city's 2000 census data, Some goals include, partnering with local and regional programs, assistance centers, identifying new markets and individual needs, implement community campaigns to highlight census importance and partnering with associations, organizations and businesses. She added that they were also working with Luke Air Force Base. The U.S. Census Bureau began working on the 2010 campaign in Fall 2008 by recruiting for local census workers who would help set up initial operations. In Spring 2009, census 2 employees began going door to door to update address lists nationwide. Recruitment begins this Fall for census takers needed in 2010. The final population count will be delivered to the President in December of 2010. Ms. Blazina asked for any questions. Councilmember Clark asked for clarification on how many assistance centers would be created and what type of help was provided. Ms. Blazina stated that the U.S. Census Bureau will be setting up offices were people can go for help in filling out forms or for any other concerns. She added that the city will help in educating citizens on where they can go to get help. Councilmember Clark asked if the locations were known at this time. Ms. Blazina responded no; however, as they get closer to the end of the year, they will have that information and will be publicizing it through their website and community partnerships. Councilmember Clark asked what could be done to assist those in low to moderate income brackets without Internet access. Ms. Blazina indicated that they have been working with community leaders and organizations in those areas to send out information and educate that population. Councilmember Clark remarked that back in the early 70's, she ran the census for the entire west valley and was very familiar with all the procedures. She noted that a big problems with this program has always been the integrity of the census takers, however, the government has always found ways to deal with it. Another issue has been reaching the more disaffected and mistrustful of the population. She asked what Glendale was doing to reach this population. Ms. Blazina reiterated how Glendale was partnering with community leaders which were a trusted source in the community. Councilmember Clark remarked that in this age of instant information, people tend to ignore most of it. She suggested they look for new ways to motivate and prompt people to fill out the forms. Councilmember Goulet said the outreach efforts outlined seemed like an excellent way to reach communities. He asked if a percentage was known of people that will not be filling out forms, and if so, how does that impact future money for Glendale. Ms. Blazina explained that at this point, it was hard to estimate that percentage. However, the census does equate dollars for Glendale. She added that she will research those percentages and their affect and get back to him. Councilmember Goulet asked what the penalty was, if someone chooses to ignore and not participate in the census. Mr. Craig Tindall, City Attorney, stated that he was not sure what the penalty was, however, it is driven by federal law. Vice Mayor Martinez inquired as to the integrity issue in the past with the census takers as commented by Councilmember Clark. He asked if this had been an issue the last time the census was taken. Ms.Blazina stated that she did not have an answer to that, however, the census takers were employed by the Census Bureau. She noted that she will try and find out the particulars and how they work. Vice Mayor Martinez said that he was curious and would appreciate it. Ms. Blazina discussed how staff was utilizing schools, churches and leaders in the community to try and encourage people's response. She reiterated the safety and confidentiality of the material and how their response impacts the service the city provides to their residents. Councilmember Lieberman commented that in 1990 and 2000, they might have received additional percentage dollars because the Census Bureau believed that there had been an undercut in some areas of Glendale. However, he was not sure. He added that he heard that one 3 person was worth $400 dollars a year to a city. He discussed the extreme necessity of being counted by the Census Bureau and what it means in dollars to the city. Councilmember Frate remarked that a lot of people often wonder why there was a census. He explained that it was constitutionally required they have a census taken every ten years in order to be represented in the House and Senate. He noted that every year, $3 billion dollars was allocated to cities and states responding to the population count. He stated that he had attended a census meeting and had received important information. He had been told that this year, the census takers would be some of the best educated because of the unemployment factor. He cited the short forms with only ten questions which will be easy to fill out. He explained how census takers will come to your home if you do not respond after numerous efforts to contact you. He said it was very important to be counted so your city and state receive federal funds. He expects a good turnout because of the early publicity and information that has already been given out. He hopes everyone participates. Mayor Scruggs asked if the census determines funds for schools. Ms. Blazina explained that they do receive a portion of their funding from the census data. Mayor Scruggs remarked how people needed to understand how this affected their community. She suggested attending school boards and speaking to board members who had a tremendous reach in the community. She also suggested talking to teachers as well. She indicated that they had to find ways to make the connection that this was going to help them personally. Councilmember Knaack commented on how at a school meeting she attended, the census was something that was not considered important. She suggested having an outreach program for children and students. She stated that everyone needed to be counted even if they were here illegally. She noted people needed to be reassured this will be confidential and will not lead to identity theft or deportation. Mayor Scruggs commented that a lot of the mistrust went back decades. She related how her parents and friends had been suspicious of government programs and would not answer the door to census takers. She believes some of those feelings were carried down through generations. She reiterated how important it was to speak and educate church leaders and teachers so they in turn can educate others. She noted that convincing the public was going to be harder today than ever before. She noticed people do not answer their doors because of the trust factor. Councilmember Clark agreed. She said the point she was trying to make was that their intentions were pure; however, there was a segment of the population that did not care or care to understand the process. She hopes someone comes up with an ad that advertises census involvement as being cool, She noted it would be a great way to get many involved. Councilmember Frate discussed the census information being handed out to cities and the many organizations that rely on the census data for funding. Mayor Scruggs asked if they would be able to visit retirement homes and work directly with management. Ms. Blazina indicated they have included those segments as target areas. Mayor Scruggs suggested the center have a day they all filled out their forms. She commented that Target or Wal-Mart can get involved and possibly offer a small gift card for those who complete 4 the forms. She added that this goes back to motivating the public. She explained that a personal connection had to be found in order to reach the public. Councilmember Knaack commented on her next show taping for Channel 11 which will feature the many local programs available that could be affected by this data. Councilmember Lieberman noted that summer and after school programs were programs that were affected by this data. He stated that they had to get the word out that this affected everyone. Councilmember Rate commented that at the census meeting he attended, he was told they will be targeting the senior citizen community. He noted they were offering inexpensive gifts such as coffee mugs as incentives. As no further business was discussed, Mayor Scruggs adjourned the meeting. ADJOURNMENT The meeting was adjourned at 2:10 p.m. 5