Urges Coralville Residents to Fill Out Census Forms to Ensure they are Counted
Washington, Mar 12 - Today, in a letter to U.S. Census Bureau Director Robert Groves, Congressman Dave Loebsack (D-IA) called for the U.S. Census Bureau to apologize to Coralville residents and to issue new census forms to citizens in Coralville. The letter is being sent in reaction to residents from Coralville coming to Loebsack’s office with census forms that listed incorrect addresses. The census forms listed Iowa City, and not Coralville, in the address block.
"The citizens of Coralville have their own community, history, and pride and it is essential that this alarming omission of their identity be rectified and an apology issued. Coralville is its own town, and should not be lumped into a neighboring community,” said Loebsack. “An accurate count is vital to help ensure that our communities get adequate funding for schools, roads, and hospitals."
Loebsack wrote a letter to the U.S. Census Bureau, urging a new mailing to the city of Coralville with the correct addresses. Citizens of Coralville have come forward with concerns that the error in the address block, which lists Iowa City, and not Coralville, will harm census data collection efforts. An accurate count is essential to bringing in federal funding, and Loebsack harbors serious concerns that this error will lower Coralville’s count.
"Given the floods of 2008, it is critical that Iowa communities get their fair share of federal funds," noted Loebsack. "If the people of Coralville are given inaccurate census forms with incorrect addresses, their return rate will dip, and this vibrant community will not be fully counted. It is critical that we issue new forms, with the correct addresses, so that the people of Coralville can be fully counted."
Despite this insult, Loebsack encourages the residents of Coralville to fill out the census forms to ensure that all members of the Coralville community are counted and that Coralville is able to get a fair shake at federal funds. The text of the letter Loebsack sent to the U.S. Census Bureau is below.
Dr. Robert Groves
Director, United States Census Bureau
United States Department of Commerce
Washington, DC 20233Dear Dr. Robert Groves,
It was recently brought to my attention that a number of census forms sent to Coralville, Iowa were mailed with incorrect information. Instead of Coralville, neighboring community Iowa City was filled in as the city in the address block. As you can imagine, this is very upsetting to the residents of Coralville and to me, their Representative in Congress. Not only does it not recognize Coralville as the independent city that it is, it has the unfortunate impact of discouraging Coralville residents from participating in the U.S. Census.
This is particularly distressing because Coralville experienced severe flooding during the floods of 2008. An accurate census count is important to the city because it will help to ensure that Coralville residents continue get the disaster relief and rebuilding assistance they need. Furthermore, based upon a 2007 Census Bureau estimate, Coralville appears to have grown since the last census and, as an economic driver for Eastern Iowa, it’s important that the City’s population be counted fully and accurately.
It is for this reason that I write to ask you to send a letter apologizing to the people of Coralville along with new census forms that include the correct city. This is a serious error on the part of the federal government and should be remedied immediately.
Sincerely,
/s/ Dave Loebsack
cc: Mayor Fausett, Senator Dvorsky
