Johnna Pinholster
The Valdosta Daily Times
VALDOSTA —
By 2012 the political representation of Valdosta and Lowndes County could be changed.
All because of the census.
Redistricting of political boundaries at all levels is required to occur following every census, City Manager Larry Hanson said.
This affects the county commission, city council, school boards, Georgia legislative representatives and U.S. Congress members.
“It’s important that we have the entire community counted properly so that our political representative is a reflection of our population,” Hanson said.
Redistricting generally doesn’t happen until two years after the census occurs, he said.
In 2012 redistricting and a mandatory re-negotiation of the local option sales tax will occur as a result of the census data, Hanson said.
The county hopes that the census will provide a more detailed account of the demographics in the county to assist with the possible expansion of the county commission, Paige Dukes, county clerk, said.
As the county looks at the expansion of the commission it’s important that there are accurate population counts to help reference the distribution of the voting party, County Manager Joe Pritchard said.
Though the redistricting as required by the census directly impacts the county and city governments, the census plays an indirect role in determining grant and federal aid as well as future development for the area.
Metropolitan Status
Hanson believes the 2010 census will change the status of Valdosta and the surrounding area much like the census conducted in 2000 did.
“It was the reason Valdosta achieved metropolitan status and one of the important things about this upcoming census is, I think it’s probable that the metropolitan statistical area will grow,” Hanson said.
Rather than being a four county MSA, Hanson believes the area could grow to include six or even eight counties.
“It will really demonstrate what we already know, that we are in fact a regional community,” Hanson said.
The Federal Office of Management and Budget (OMB) defines what constitutes a metropolitan community, Mayor John Fretti said.
Determining metropolitan statistical area or MSA takes into account commuting patterns and population density, Hanson said.
Commuting patterns are determined by the number of people in one community that commute to another, like Valdosta, for work. If that number is more than 20 percent of the community’s population, they are generally included in an MSA, Hanson said.
Population density is determined by the number of people, 1,000, within a square mile. The development out toward Moody Air Force Base changed the landscape of Valdosta, Lowndes County and Berrien County, making it part of the MSA.
Currently the United States of America has 363 metropolitan communities recognized by the OMB, Fretti said.
Certain industries and companies start their search for a new location with the census data, Hanson said.
“So it’s extremely important that we have an accurate count and your census count is accurate because you may lose business you never even knew about if the information is not correct,” he said.
If the MSA expands the principal area, Valdosta would be responsible for all the people included in the coverage area, Fretti said.
“I think that we would now be measured on how we can handle those folks,” he said.
The greatest benefit of the census is the impact it can have on economic development, Hanson said.
“There are only 363 MSA’s in the nation and I think there are over 25,000 cities, but 85 percent of all the income and all the jobs and all the population in America is in the MSA’s, even though they only make up 20 percent of the land area of the nation,” Hanson said.
Businesses and industry are drawn to MSA’s for the opportunities it provides the business and the people they employ, he said.
Companies expect a higher quality of life and greater amenities in an MSA which makes it a valuable place to locate, Hanson said.
Goods and Services
The distribution of more than $300 billion in federal funds is also impacted by the census data.
“If you have 100 people in your community that need social services and only 80 of those people get counted then we get funded for 80 people but we have to use that to help 100 people,” Dukes said.
This creates an adverse impact on the social service program and others when people are not counted, she said.
As an area moves from one population pocket to another, say from below to 100,000 people to above 100,000, the kind of funds, grants and programs that are available changes, Dukes said.
Prior to the area receiving metropolitan status, voter data information requested at the local Board of Elections was sent to the state, processed, paid for and sent back to Lowndes County, she said.
Now, because of the metropolitan status, the Board of Elections is responsible for housing and processing the data in house.
“There are two sides to that. It’s great to have it here and now the money comes directly to us instead of going to the state for processing the data but administratively we also have to take on the cost of administering the data.”
The census data helps map future development and expansion of public safety and the map is used for emergency services purposes, Dukes said.
Census data helps a community adequately assess the number of people that are displaced during a natural disaster.
“If we have something happen here, normally within 24 hours FEMA wants to know how many people have been impacted,” she said. “Well it’s impossible if infrastructure is down to really start counting people, so you rely on maps that were created during the census process to estimate the number of people that were affected in those areas.”
For Jason Davenport, County Planner, the census data helps him map out the future of Lowndes County.
Census data affects planning projects that are 20 to 30 years down the road, he said.
“It helps us see where potential impact is going to take place,” Davenport said.
Census data helps predict where development will take place. What is now a farm may 30 years from now be a subdivision, he said.
“Knowing where we anticipate those impacts helps us plan where to put infrastructure, where to spread the dollars that are very tight around, so that we can provide services where the people are,” Davenport said.
Because Lowndes County is an agricultural community, Dukes said, the census data helps the commission in terms of rezoning and development.
Continuos development on property that needs to be maintained as agricultural can better be discerned by the commission through census data, she said. “One of the most important things about this census from a national perspective is the inclusion of those people that are perhaps illegal that we have demand for services but yet they are not on any records anywhere,” Pritchard said.
That said the information given to the census is confidential and cannot be released for 99 years after the data is submitted according to federal law.
“The census information is 100 percent confidential and that is one of the things that we want to stress because we do feel like there are some people here who are going to be afraid to be counted,” Dukes said. “But those people are also the people that are utilizing the services that are funded through census data.”
This ensures that the county has the financial means to meet the entire community’s needs, she said.
“We don’t want to categorize anyone but when we see increases in the court system, the judicial system, the hospital, emergency services, it’s important to know how many people we are dealing with in order for us to better be able to allocate goods and services,” Pritchard said.
