By Eric Curl
June 6, 2020 – Savannah Mayor Van Johnson is calling on residents to complete their US Census forms, after noting the city’s response rate (50.7%) was behind the response rate of Atlanta (53.1%), Albany (54.2%), Augusta (55.1%) and Charleston, SC(58.1%).
“We are better than this,” Johnson said. “If you have not done your Census we need you to engage and be counted.”
The Census helps determine how much federal funding local governments get for schools, roads, and other public services.
“Ten minutes of your time will effect this community for ten years into the future,” Johnson said.
Johnson made his plea during his weekly Friday night Facebook chat, and again during his Saturday city update. At one point during his Facebook chat, Johnson laid the ground work for a friendly competition by telling an Augusta resident to notify his friend, Augusta Mayor Hardie Davis, Jr., that “it is on.”
“He better enjoy his 5% lead today because come this time next week, Savannah’s going to be 60%,” Johnson said. “We’re going to do that.”
Census questionnaires can be completed online at my2020census.gov.
