LIBERTY – Bob Gabbard, a Partnership Specialist for the United States Census Bureau, spoke to Liberty City Council and citizens Monday, Dec. 14 about raising awareness of the upcoming 2010 census.

He said some of his goals were to let people know that the census is coming, to focus on concerns that citizens may have and to account for every resident of the U.S., whether citizens or non citizens.

“As a state, South Carolina didn’t do well 10 years ago when the census came out,” Gabbard said. “We ranked 49 out of the 50 states in the mail response rate. This time around, we must improve. My job is to get close to the citizens, inform folks and alleviate any fears they may have about their privacy.”

Gabbard said the law protects the citizens because the bureau keeps the paperwork confidential for 72 years and no other agencies can get their hands on them, including other federal agencies.

“The census is an attempt to optimize the financial well-being of communities and keep our tax dollars here instead of them being sent elsewhere in the United States,” he said. “My role is to make sure Pickens County, Liberty and every other city around the area get the money they deserve from the federal government.”

The documents are set to be mailed in March and Census day is April 1, 2010. The goal is to deliver census information to the president by Dec. 2010.

“The census is good for the community and we have to get people to believe that,” Mayor Brian Deese said.

Deese said he would make sure a page was dedicated to filling out the census in the next Liberty newsletter that will come out in March.

“We need to get people involved in this to keep the money here rather than elsewhere,” Deese said.