The United States 2010 Census is important to the future of Polk and its municipalities.

Every year, the federal government can allocate more than $400 billion to states and communities based, in part, on census date. Estimates are that Polk would receive about $1,400 annually for each person responding to this year’s event.

These funds can be used in building of new roads, hospitals, child-care, senior citizen and job-training centers, emergency management and other needed services.

The results of this annual count will also determine the number of seats each state receives in the United States House of Representatives starting with the 2012 elections. Consequently, this will also affect the number of votes that states receive in the Electoral College for the 2012 presidential election.

Census forms are scheduled for mailing March 15-17, according to Edward “Ed” Mitchell, Jr., partnership specialist. He met Thursday with Polk’s Census Committee Chair John Moore, Commissioner Sandra Galloway, Ray Carter and Lucille Harris, Rockmart council members, Stacey Smith and President Eric McDonald, Polk County Chamber of Commerce.

Census bureau staff will begin delivering forms to hospitals, nursing homes and other areas where people are living on April 1.

From April 1 -3, totals from the response to mailed forms will be disseminated to local communities. A neighborhood blitz is planned for April 10. Information will also be given to local volunteers regarding areas with low response rates.

On April 14, a second mail out of forms will be sent to people who did not respond to the first.

Question and Answer Centers will offer one-day services from March 19 to April 19. These are open to people who do not understand how to answer the 10 questions on census forms.

These centers will be located at Polk churches, including New Harmony, Pine Bower, Pine Hill, Church of the Lord Jesus, Living Waters, Abundant Life, local libraries and other designated sites.

Census takers will begin training in late April.

These individuals will go door-to-door to conduct brief interviews with households that did not return their questionnaire. Census takers work approximately 20 to 40 hours per week, primarily in the evenings and on weekends and are paid weekly.

An applicant’s chances of getting a job with the Census depend on many factors, such as the availability of work in his or her community, test score results, number of hours he or she is available for census work and veterans' preference. Also being able to speak a second language - even a rare language - fluently is a sought-after trait.

Interested individuals can seek assistance from the Georgia Department of Labor’s Career Center in Cedartown or go online www.2010censusjobs.gov.

From May 1 to mid July, workers will begin knocking on doors for a final effort to obtain information from those not responding to previous mail outs and/or other events.

The final count is scheduled to be in the office of Governor Sonny Perdue by Dec. 31, 2010.