A Word from the Chair of the BMC

The Honorable C.A. Dutch Ruppersberger, Baltimore County Executive, Baltimore Metropolitan Council Chair (right) 

The year 2000 marks a new century and a new millennium. It is also a census year.

The US Constitution requires an accurate count of the population every 10 years. The census is important to you for a number of reasons.

The 435 members of the House of Representatives are apportioned by population.  Each member currently represents approximately 550,000 people. Maryland just missed gaining an additional representative in the 1990 census count.

Also, census figures are used to help determine where federal dollars are spent. Generally speaking, more populous areas receive a greater share of federal aid. The Baltimore area lost significant federal funding because of undercounting in the 1990 census. An estimated 48,500 Baltimore-area people were not counted in 1990, including 23,100 in Baltimore City. The Maryland Office of Planning estimates the current per-person value of federal loans and grants at $1,036 a year. Over the course of the decade, that's $10,360 for every man, woman and child in our region. Do the math, and you'll see that the 1990 undercount cost the Baltimore area more than $50 million a year in federal funds – a total of half a billion in federal funds that could have been used for everything from education to public safety to drug treatment.

I ask each of you to complete your census form when it arrives in March. I ask you to remind friends, co-workers, employees and fellow members of clubs and organizations to fill out their forms.

Everyone counts. An undercount in 2000 similar to the 1990 inaccuracies could cost the Baltimore region $90 million a year over the next 10 years – nearly $1 billion. That's a loss we can't afford.