With the new year we are going to continue to hear more and more about the mandatory 2010 Census.

In case you have forgotten, a count of every resident in the United States is required by the Constitution every ten years.

Why? Because the data from the Census helps to determine how more than $400 billion dollars of federal funding each year is spent on infrastructure and services such as hospitals, job training centers, schools, senior centers, bridges and other public works projects, and emergency services. It affects the number of seats a state occupies in the U.S. House of Representatives.

Census information is also used for other purposes such as to advocate for causes, rescue disaster victims, prevent diseases, research markets, locate pools of skilled workers and more.

As you can see, an accurate count is important, especially for our local communities and how much federal money will be distributed to them.

Forms will be mailed and distributed to households in March. National Census Day is April 1 and should be the last day for the completed forms to be returned. Starting in April, Census takers will be visiting the households of those who did not return a form by mail. That process will continue through July.

If confidentiality concerns are what holds you back from completing your Census form, know that the confidentiality of all of your information is protected by the law. The penalty for unlawful disclosure is a fine of up to $250,000 or imprisonment of up to five years, or both.

The information secured through the Census is for statistical purposes only. Private information is never published.

If we want better communities, completing and returning our Census form is a first step.

So when your Census form appears in the mail, put some time aside to fill it out and return it by April 1.