Ron Brown

The federal government will dole out $300 billion to cities and counties across the nation in 2011, and census officials say municipal leaders need to help make sure their communities get their fair share.

"Dollars, dollars, dollars are at stake for our communities," said Ron Brown, partnership coordinator for the U.S. Census Bureau's Charlotte region, which encompasses Tennessee.

Mr. Brown encouraged civic leaders from around the state to form "count committees" and help educate residents about next year's population count at the Tennessee Municipal League's annual meeting at the Chattanooga Convention Center on Monday. He said the leaders could link to the census home page from their Web sites, put reminders on their utility bills or invite census staff to set up booths at local events.

"We need to get in front of people as many ways as we can," Mr. Brown told the group.

He said the federal government uses the counts to allot funds from its $300 billion "pot," and assuring accuracy will help the cities get their share. In addition to the funding, legislative seats are based on the population counts, he said.

East Ridge City Manager William Whitson said he was concerned that some of the town's Hispanic residents or people who live in extended-stay motels might not be counted in the census and the city could miss out on funding. He said his city already has created one of the count committees, and officials say there are a few such committees in Hamilton and Bradley counties.

"I think it's critical that we get this right," he said.

Red Bank city manager Chris Dorsey said after hearing Mr. Brown that the town would look into starting a committee.

"You want to make sure as many available bodies are counted," he said.

Today, census officials and La Paz de Dios will meetwith Hispanic organizations, leaders and local media to talk about participating in the census and the role of Hispanics.

It's all part of the efforts to get the word out about the count, according to Mr. Brown.