By Jessica Mathews/News@whmi.com


City of Howell residents are being encouraged to get counted as part of the 2020 Census.

Census Day was April 1st but the count is still happening and residents can complete their questionnaire online, by phone, or by mail. Interim Howell City Manager Erv Suida says getting a good count is extremely important for communities, counties and states as lot of federal funding is dispersed according to Census data. He noted that Livingston County has been leading the state as far as responses but unfortunately out of the county data, the City of Howell was at the bottom. Suida encourages all residents to fill out their census questionnaire because it’s critical they get that information.

Suida said at the last census count, the City had just under 10,000 population. If they exceed that, he says that would put the City in a whole other category that would open up grant opportunities and more federal funding. Suida said having that accurate data from the City is going to be critical, adding it’s a really easy process and there aren’t any intrusive questions.

The census is nine questions long and responses are confidential. Residents that haven’t participated yet can still do so online at www.my2020census. The link is provided.