Federal funding for Northwest Kansas programs, projects at stake in census

Federal funds make their way to Northwest Kansas in the form of lunches children eat at school, Medicaid dollars paid for nursing home care, road and bridge projects and a variety of other ways. The level of federal funding many of those programs and services receive is directed by census data.

“It’s really almost more a question of what isn’t impacted by it,” said Dustin Herrs, a Salina city planner. “All of those decisions on when money is being allocated to the states and states are allocating to municipalities are based on census data.”

The Kansas League of Municipalities has constructed an interactive city data map, which can be seen under resources at kansascounts.org. There, residents of various communities throughout the state can find out the impact of an undercount in the 2020 U.S. Census on federal funds distributed on the basis of census data in their communities. The losses if people who are eligible for certain types of assistance aren’t counted can add up quickly.

For example, the map shows that if an average-sized household in Atwood doesn’t get counted, the cost in missed federal funding for the community and state over the next decade could be more than $39,765. In Sharon Springs, the loss per missed household is estimated at nearly $48,720. In Russell, the figure is almost $45,180.

If only 1 percent of the population of Kansas goes uncounted, the state could miss receiving nearly $604 million in federal funding over the next decade, according to a Kansas Counts estimate.

The Counting for Dollars 2020 Project completed by the George Washington University Institute of Public Policy shows that Kansas receives more than $6 billion a year in funding through the 55 largest federal spending programs for infrastructure and services. Health clinics, schools, housing, senior services, fire stations, job training, veterans’ programs and hundreds of other services and programs receive federal funding. Census data is used in a variety of ways, including to define eligibility criteria, compute formulas for allocation of funds, rank project applications or set interest rates for federal loan programs.

The federal dollars at stake make getting an accurate count in the 2020 Census important. Lindsey Douglas, deputy secretary of the Kansas Department of Transportation, said KDOT is among state agencies for which federal funding is directed by census data.

"Completing the 2020 Census will be important to ensuring that all Kansans receive the right amount of federal funds for transportation," Douglas said. "In Northwest Kansas, federal dollars directed by the census help us plan, construct and maintain major roads and bridges and support public transportation services—all of which help move people and freight safely and efficiently.

“A complete count of Kansans, especially in our state's rural areas, will be important to making sure we can continue to support Kansas communities and their transportation needs."

Census data is also used for community planning and emergency preparedness planning, as well as corporate decisions about new markets and where to expand.

Herrs, who is acting as city staff liaison to Salina’s complete count committee, said the goal in 2020 is to “get the word out and do the best we can to make sure everyone’s accounted for.”

In Salina, where the population was 47,707 in the 2010 census, city officials would like to see the city’s 2020 population count officially surpass 50,000, making Saline County a Metropolitan Statistical Area – a designation that can trigger eligibility for block grants and transportation funding, as well as making the community of interest to more businesses looking to expand or relocate.

“If we get 100 percent participation, we’ve got a decent shot, I think, but that’s hard to do,” Herrs said.

The census estimate for 2018 showed Salina’s population had declined to 46,716. Herrs said certain groups of people are hard to enumerate because of factors like language limitations, distrust of the government and advanced age. He said the complete count committee appointed by the city commission includes representatives of various community organizations that serve different populations and might help to increase participation.

In preparation for the census, Herrs said city staff reviewed and updated every one of the city’s more than 18,000 addresses and appealed any discrepancies with census records.

s“We have an address list that is completely up to date and accurate, which should help a lot,” he said.