Nearly a quarter of all Holly Springs households have yet to return their 2010 Census questionnaires.

Participation in the Census is not optional, it is required by law. If you do not return your Census form by mail, a Census Taker will come to your home to collect the data in person. It is not too late to mail your form back to keep from getting a knock on your door. Completing the Census questionnaire should take no more than 10 minutes to complete and are due back to the US Census Bureau by April 22.

Census Takers will only be visiting those households that do not return their forms by mail.

If you have not yet received a Census form and would like to mail in your information, visit the Questionnaire Assistance Center located in the lobby of the Holly Springs Cultural Center. If you or someone you know only receives mail from a Post Office Box, you or they may not have received a form.

By going to the QAC you can obtain a form to mail your responses back instead of waiting for a Census Taker to visit your home.

Responding by mail with the postage paid envelope provided is the safest most economical way to participate. For each one percent of households that respond by mail nationally will save the Federal Government over $84 million in follow-up costs.

All information provided to the Census Bureau is safe and secure. By law, the Census Bureau cannot share respondents’ answers with anyone, — not the IRS, not the FBI, not the CIA, and not with any other local, state or federal government agency. The easiest and best way to keep your information safe is to fill out your census form and mail it in. All Census Bureau employees take an oath of nondisclosure and are sworn for life to protect the confidentiality of the data. The penalty for unlawful disclosure is a fine of up to $250,000 or imprisonment of up to five years, or both.

A complete and accurate count of all residents in Holly Springs and Wake County will ensure that the Town receives its fair share of tax revenues, grants, and other funding opportunities. When you do the math, it’s easy to see what an accurate count of residents can do for Holly Springs. This year alone, 15 percent of the Town’s anticipated revenues, or $3.8 million, are from population-based tax distributions.

The only greater source of revenue for the Town is property taxes. Undercounting the Town’s population by just 500 people could cost the Town over $1 million over the next ten years. Therefore, a complete count is in our hands- do your part and return your form today.

You can track the response rate for Holly Springs at: http://2010.census.gov/2010census/take10map/ For questions or additional information about the 2010 Census in Holly Springs, please contact Gina Clapp, Director of Planning & Zoning at 557-3928 or gina.clapp@hollyspringsnc.usVisit www.hollyspringsnc.us/census to learn more.