By Morgan Pilz, Staff Writer

Failure to participate risks losing out on govt. grants

(Jan. 23, 2020) If resident participation in the national census were to be graded on the standard A-to-F basis, Berlin would have managed a “C” 10 years ago and Worcester County would have failed.

Deputy Town Administrator Mary Bohlen

The town, the county and all its other jurisdictions have to do better than that, says Berlin Deputy Town Administrator Mary Bohlen, who is campaigning for a better turnout in Berlin and elsewhere in the decennial census this year.

In 2010, Worcester County had the worst participation rate in the state, with only 59 percent of the county’s residents filling out and returning the requisite forms, according to Maryland Census figures. The county had done marginally better at the turn of the millennia, when it was 21st out of the state’s 24 political subdivisions with a participation rate of 63 percent.

The most significant downside of these low census figures is the loss of state and federal money, which often is based on population. Bohlen said that for every person who is not registered, the county loses $18,000 per decade ($1,800 per year.)

“On a day-to-day living sort of aspect, it helps determine how many people are using our streets on a regular basis, which can influence the funding we get from the state or federal government to help us maintain and build roads,” Bohlen said.

“One of the [best] examples they gave at one of the [census] meetings that we attended that stuck with me is if there is an outbreak of a disease, for instance, census data is used to help the [Center for Disease Control and Prevention] determine how many vaccinations get sent to an area,” she continued. “So, if that area has been undercounted because people didn’t respond to the census, then they won’t send enough medicine.”

Under-representation is common in rural areas, where the population is difficult to reach. Even so, according to the Maryland Census website, Snow Hill had the largest participation of any Worcester County community 10 years ago, with 83 percent of the population responding.

Pocomoke City followed with 80 percent, Berlin posted 74 percent and Ocean City turned in the lowest rate of response with 41 percent.

The census has directly affected several projects in Berlin, Bohlen said.

“There’s a state funding program passed down from [Housing and Urban Development] called a Community Development Block Grant, and we have done several projects directly based on our standing with the census,” she said. “Part of the sidewalks on Flower Street were done with that money and we had to use census data to prove our need, and a lot of the stormwater work that we have done in the last several years was done with block grant money and again, we had to prove our numbers.”

Bohlen, like other municipal and county officials, hopes to see a much better numbers this year.

“Starting in March-April, you’re going to see a lot of ramping up in Worcester County,” she said.

Logos created by the Worcester County Complete Count Committee will remind people to call, go online or mail their responses for the census, and will be spread throughout the town and organizations to encourage people to finish the information before the July 31 deadline.

As for losing that $18,000 per decade for every uncounted person, “That’s federal dollars that we could have in Worcester County for public consumption for health care, education, police, fire, our roads … it’s federal dollars that could come into Worcester County in the state of Maryland,” Berlin Planning Director Dave Engelhart said.

The 2020 Census will be open from April 1 to July 31. For more information, visit https://planning.maryland.gov/.