Wilmer/Ferris residents taking 2020 census seriously

WILMER – The City of Wilmer is taking the 2020 census seriously. So far, the city has a 51.3-percent self-response rate.

On Tuesday, both Wilmer’s Mayor Emmanuel Wealthy and City Administrator Rona Stringfellow were at Praise Fellowship Church not only passing out fruit, vegetables, and non-perishable items, but also making sure the community is census ready.

“The Texas response rate is 55.6-percent – and our city is right there too,” Wealthy said.

“I am proud of the City of Wilmer, and encourage all residents to complete the census to make sure we are allocated proper funding for the city.

“Remember, the results of this year’s census are the best tool we have to make sure we are counted and given the necessary resources to make Wilmer even stronger than it is today.”

Wilmer residents who stopped by to pick up food also had the chance to meet with representatives from the 2020 census office to ask any questions about how to complete the census questionnaire.

The City of Ferris is also aggressively making residents aware of the census deadline.

Ferris has a 62.4 percent self-response rate.

“Ferris has relatively high shares of populations that have been missed in previous census counts at disproportionately high rates, including minorities, children below the age of five, the foreign-born and low-income populations,” said Ferris City Manager Brooks Williams. 

“About 30-percent of children in the state of Texas under age five live in hard-to-count neighborhoods, and some of those are in Ferris. 

“The census plays a major role in determining the distribution of federal funds to the City of Ferris.”

The 2020 census benefits cities in areas such as health care, education, agriculture, infrastructure and housing – and it also determines the size of Texas’ congressional delegation.

“That’s why it’s imperative that we work collaboratively towards finding ways to help ensure we count all Ferris residents in the upcoming census,” Williams concluded.