Saying no to taking the census is like saying no to money, literally.

Communities around the country are working to get that message across to residents and to encourage them to take 10 minutes to answer 10 questions when they receive their Census 2010 forms in March.

Census spokesman Nina Nowaczyk met with La Grange Park officials from the village, library, park district and schools Oct. 26 as part of a national campaign to get residents to be counted under the Partnership Program.

The village, like many other communities in the area, has formed a Complete Count Committee, designed specifically to get the word out about the importance of the census.

“This is something that is critically important for the village, as well as all taxing bodies, to establish our population,” Nowaczyk said. “Our portion of the state-shared revenue is dependent on the population, that’s why it is so important that we have an accurate count of those members in our community.”

Committee members include Village President James Discipio, Library Director Dixie Conkis, Elementary School District 102 Superintendent Warren Shillingberg, Nazareth Academy Principal Deborah Vondrasek, Sheri Sauer, La Grange Park Business Association; Peggy Ronovsky, Park District of La Grange Park; and Assistant Village Manager Julia Cedillo, who will serve as liaison between the committee and the Census Bureau. Members will use what resources they have, such as newsletters or Web sites to talk up the census.

Nowaczyk said an overall mistrust in government may have resulted in a drop in the census return rate beginning in 1980. That prompted the Census Bureau to send out census takers to personally knock on doors.

It only got worse in 1990.

In 2000, the Partnership Program was developed to engage communities and taxing bodies in the process and the return rate on census forms began to improve. But fear of the government and a general malaise toward anything generated from Washington could create a backslide in participation.

For some, especially those who wish to remain under the radar such as illegal aliens or perhaps those who may owe child support or school loans, the census is seen as a way to be found.

But the Census Bureau is forbidden by constitutional law to provide any information to any other agency within the government that identifies a citizen by name to an address. In fact, names are automatically encrypted as they are entered into the census database.

“If (people) hear from you, maybe they will take the time to sit a the kitchen table and fill the form out,” Nowaczyk said.

This year, the bureau plans a media blitz to impress upon the public the importance of being counted.

Cedillo said the village will also be providing information to residents at this year’s Holiday in the Park event in December as part of its campaign.

“The Census Bureau will set up a satellite info booth close to the day of census to answer questions,” Cedillo said.