Flaggs forms 2020 Census Committee for Vicksburg

Vicksburg Mayor George Flaggs Jr. kicked off the once-a-decade census at Monday’s Board of Mayor and Aldermen meeting by forming and appointing a committee to ensure Vicksburg is on track.

The committee will be tasked with collecting information from the past census and come up with new innovative ideas to improve the 2020 census count.

The U.S. Constitution mandates that a census be taken every 10 years to count all people—both citizens and noncitizens—living in the United States.

The decennial census is the primary source of data on the nation’s population and economy, according to the Population Reference Bureau, a partner of the U.S. Census Bureau. Census data are used to determine political representation, inform business development and investment, and allocate government funds to where they are most needed.

Census totals help determine the amount of funding that state governments and local communities receive from the federal government for the next decade. Cities like Vicksburg rely on census data to determine the need for infrastructure and public sector investments.

In 2010 the Census Bureau reported Vicksburg’s total population as 24,189.

Flaggs said he has a minimum population goal for the City of Vicksburg of 25,000. That number of residents will make Vicksburg more appealing for grants and federal dollars.

During Monday’s board meeting, Flaggs appointed the following 2020 Census Committee: City Clerk Walter Osborne will be the committee chairman; members are District 3 Warren County Supervisor Shawn Jackson, North Ward Alderman Michael Mayfield, South Ward Alderman Alex Mousour, City Attorney Nancy Thomas, city Human Resources Director Fermika Smith,  House of Peace Pastor Linda Sweezer, and county Election Commission Chairwoman Sarah Dionne. Deborah Goodman, city administrative assistant, will serve as an ex-officio member

“This may be the most important committee for 2020,” Flags said.