Uniformed Murfreesboro firefighters will be knocking on doors beginning this weekend as the City seeks to collect names and complete an accurate count of households who have not filled out and returned the Special Census form by mail or online.
Chief Foulks will be on the WGNS' Action Line "live" from the stage at Puckett's Restaurant this coming Wednesday morning from 8:10 to 9:00AM. The public is encouraged to phone the broadcast and talk with Murfreesboro's fire chief.
If Murfreesboro can show the population has increased, the city can take some of the tax dollars that are headed to state government and retain them for the city.
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During the door-to-door campaign members of the Murfreesboro Fire Rescue Department (MFRD) will also provide valuable information on home fire safety and check smoke alarms to make sure the alarms are working properly. Homeowners needing assistance with installation of properly-functioning smoke alarms can get help from uniformed MFRD personnel. The Census only takes a few minutes.
In order to verify the accuracy of the Census, the City is required to receive a survey response from each household or visit the residents who did not respond. The survey simply requests respondents' address and the names of everyone living at that address.
The City encourages everyone living within the City limits to be counted as part of the Special Census: 'Be Murfreesboro, Be Counted' campaign. The City of Murfreesboro has collected the names of more than half of the anticipated population after distributing three mailings of a Special Census form. The address information and first and last names collected are solely for the Special Census so the City receives its full share of state funding.
"The Special Census certifies the city's growth in population," said Planning Director Gary Whitaker. "We appreciate the significant number of residents who have participated through our online responses or mailing in forms to the Special Census. We believe the City has added at least 20,000 new residents since the last census and that could mean an additional $2.9 million per year in state-shared funding."
The population of Murfreesboro was last certified in 2011 by the State of Tennessee at 109,031, after an annexation special census count. Currently, the U.S. Census Bureau estimates the 2016 population for Murfreesboro to be 131,947. Based on the current number of households along with building permits issued for new residential dwellings, the 2017-2018 population likely exceeds the 2016 estimate.
It's important to verify the latest population, and imperative that all residents respond. State-shared tax revenues for the City of Murfreesboro rely on this information. For fiscal year 2017-18, the state is paying the City $127.45 per resident in State-shared revenues.
The first Special Census packet was mailed in late October 2017 and a second mailer went out in late November to all residents who didn't respond to the first mailing. A third Census form was mailed to more than 40,000 non-responding households January 12, 2018. Some households will receive an additional mailer even after responding. The overlap is due to the time in generating the list of non-responders. If a Murfreesboro household filled out and mailed the Census form or completed it once online, there's no need to do it a second time.
After the City's Special Census results are tabulated, the results will be delivered to the Tennessee Department of Economic & Community Development Division of Research and verified by the Greater Nashville Regional Council (GNRC) in March 2018. Communities conducting a Special Census, including Murfreesboro, will have results submitted to the state for certification and ratification by the state legislature during the 2018 legislative session.
This year's Special Census has offered a simple way to complete it online. The link to the online survey is available at the Census link at the top of our website, www.murfreesborotn.gov, or directly at www.murfreesborotn.gov/census. The online form will be closed in mid-February 2018.
Special Census letters are also being mailed to special housing locations such as MTSU on-campus housing, apartment complexes, nursing homes, assisted living facilities, homeless shelters, group homes, jail and work house facilities.
For questions about the Murfreesboro Special Census, please email census@murfreesborotn.gov or contact Dianna Tomlin at dtomlin@murfreesborotn.gov or (615) 684-6183.
