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Carlos Galarza

Bill Whitney, center, of the U.S. Census Office in Greenville, huddles with members of the Oconee County Complete Count Committee that is organizing to promote an accurate count for the 2010 Census.

WALHALLA — U.S. Census official Bill Whitney paid a visit to Oconee this week to stress the importance of a complete and accurate count during the 2010 Census.

“People means money,” Whitney told a group organizing the Oconee Complete Count Committee, which met at the government administration building in Walhalla.

“People are power,” Whitney added to make his point.

According to the U.S. Census, $3 trillion is allocated to local, state and tribal governments over the next 10 years based on population.

The census population totals also determine which states gain or lose representation in Congress. South Carolina has an opportunity during this census to gain a congressional seat for the first time since the 19th Century.

Although he does not like this little-known fact repeated, the truth of the matter is that South Carolina has plenty of room for improvement when it comes to getting an accurate count. In 2000, the Palmetto State ranked 49 among the 50 states when it came to optimizing its census count.

It will be the role of the Oconee Complete County Committee (OCCC) to improve on that record. Given about $3,000 to start with from the U.S. Census for promotion, OCCC members plan to invest in T-shirts and water bottles with Census 2010 logos to hand out at upcoming events such as Hillbilly Days in Mountain Rest, Fourth of July celebrations, Oktoberfest in Walhalla and South Carolina Apple Festival in Westminster.

The idea is to begin spreading the word about the importance of filling out and returning the simplified two-page survey with just 10 questions the U.S. Census will mail out in March. The goal of the 2010 Census is to count all residents living in the United States on April 1, 1010.

OCCC members participating in this week’s organizational meeting included WGOG radio morning show host Wayne Morton, Oconee School District Public Information Director Kay Powell, Westminster Area Chamber of Commerce Director Sandra Powell and Planning Department staff members Aaron Gadsby and Carol Harvey.

Whitney said information provided in the U.S. Census questionnaire is completely confidential and by law could not be shared with other agencies. Responses to the questionnaire are used for statistical purposes and are required by law.

“If we don’t get the questionnaires in four to five days, we’ll knock on doors,” Whitney said.