Department of Community Development
Reference: Adams County IGA - Census Liaison Position
To: Mayor Pro Tem J.W. Edwards and Members of City Council
Through: Marv Falconburg, Acting City Manager
Holly Prather, AICP - Community Development Director
Prepared By: Aja Tibbs, Long Range Planner
Date Prepared: November 4, 2019
PURPOSE
To review and consider an Intergovernmental Agreement (IGA) with Adams County to jointly fund a one-time proportionate share of salary for a Census Liaison position.
STRATEGIC FOCUS AREA
• Strong Regional Relationships and Partnerships
BACKGROUND / IGA SUMMARY
Once a decade, America comes together to count every resident in the United States, creating a national awareness of the importance of the census and its valuable statistics. The decennial census was first taken in 1790, as mandated by the Constitution. It counts our population and households, providing the basis for reapportioning congressional seats, redistricting, and distributing more than $675 billion in federal funds annually to support states, counties and communities’ vital programs - impacting housing, education, transportation, employment, health care and public policy.
City staff has been preparing for upcoming census day, April 1, 2020, since late 2017 through a variety of federal programs and collaborations. One of these collaborations has been with Adams County through their Census Liaison. The Adams County Census Liaison is a project- designated position spanning from April 2019 through April 2021. The position has and will serve as a primary contact and coordinator for Adams County’s efforts related to the 2020 Census, which includes the implementation and coordination of activities, branding, messaging, and stakeholder engagement, all to ensure the most complete count in Adams County. In addition to leading Adams County’s Complete Count Committee (CCC), the Census Liaison has and will continue to work with Brighton and other municipalities to:
• Identify and target hard-to-count communities;
• Work closely with the U.S. Census Bureau throughout and utilize their tools and resources;
• Create, develop, and purchase materials that promote the 2020 Census;
• Attend already-established community events throughout Adams County that are hosted by municipalities, nonprofit organizations, faith-based groups, business partners, among others;
• Work with nonprofit organizations that are trusted partners by the hard-to-count communities;
• Help organizations identify and apply for grants related to 2020 Census efforts;
• Sponsor and attend public forums and events to provide information to community members through direct outreach;
• Have multiple in-person discussions with people in hard-to-count populations;
• Partner and provide more intensive outreach that may include discussions for households with limited English, outreach to homeless populations, and work with people who do not have access to the internet or are not familiar with filling out computer forms;
• Utilize the County’s GIS manager to assist with canvassing efforts and other partner needs; and
• Utilize the funding received through any grants to the Adams County Complete Count Committee to the benefit of all the parties.
In exchange for the work and shared efforts of the Census Liaison position, the IGA outlines that supporting municipalities will agree to:
• Pass a proclamation in support of the 2020 Census and the Adams County Complete Count Committee;
• Be involved and engage with our Complete Count Committee or subcommittee as the Municipalities see fit;
• Notify the Census Liaison of community events that city staff are aware of;
• Help identify nonprofit organizations and other potential partners that could help support Census efforts; and
• Provide a portion of the funding for a two-year period for the Census Liaison position (out of the total three-year position).
The two-year proportionate share has been divided according to each municipality’s population ratio which comes out to the following:
|
TOTAL SUPPORT FOR TWO YEARS |
|
Adams County |
$62,000 |
|
Thornton |
$23,000 |
|
Westminster |
$12,000 |
|
Commerce City |
$10,000 |
|
Brighton |
$7,000 |
|
Northglenn |
$7,000 |
|
Federal Heights |
$2,000 |
|
Arvada |
$500 |
|
Bennett |
$500 |
|
|
$124,000 |
Refer to the attached draft IGA and scope of work attachment for full details regarding the responsibilities of each party.
STAFF ANALYSIS / RECOMMENDATION
A proclamation will be presented for the Council’s consideration on December 3, 2019 to address the first of the City’s responsibilities, and City staff and other partnering agencies have been participating and coordinating efforts with the Adams County CCC since its formation earlier this year. Should this IGA be adopted by City Council, staff would process Brighton’s share of the Census Liaison position, and continue working with the Liaison through the completion of the census count. Therefore, the adoption of this IGA will place minimal impact on existing city staff and financial resources.
Furthermore, the Adams County Census Liaison has already worked to form the CCC, apply for grant funding, attended city events, and acted as a conduit between the city and the Census Bureau. Considering the significant support already provided by this position, staff finds the proportionate share requested by Adams County to be an appropriate and nominal exchange for the work and support towards accomplishing a more complete count for Census 2020.
CITY COUNCIL OPTIONS
City Council has the following three options:
1.) Approve the IGA via Resolution as drafted,
2.) Deny the IGA via Resolution, or
3.) Continue the item to be heard at a later date.
Note: Because this IGA is being coordinated and adopted by several jurisdictions over the course of several months, it has been requested that the council refrain from making specific changes to the IGA. This will ensure that all jurisdictions are adopting the same IGA.
ATTACHMENTS
• Draft Adams County IGA
• Draft Resolution
• Draft PowerPoint Presentation