Right now, you have the opportunity to answer the Census either online or by phone. However, opportunity will be knocking in a different manner – on your door.
For Biloxi, a city that is lagging behind the national average, 40 percent of the known residents have not yet responded to Census 2020, which could jeopardize the city’s share of state and federal funds allocated to a wide array of community programs and public improvement projects across the country.
“We can’t seem to break 60 percent,” Biloxi Chief Administrative Officer Mike Leonard said in an email to City Council members. “Results show the national average for responses right now is 63.5 percent, and the average in Biloxi is 59.62 percent.”
Mayor Andrew “FoFo” Gilich and other city leaders are asking residents to respond now. Census takes have begun home visits to those who have yet to respond in efforts for everyone to be counted.
The 2020 Census website states that “Census takers work between 9 a.m. and 9 p.m., including weekends. If no one is home when the census taker visits, the census taker will leave a notice of their visit with information about how to respond online, by phone or by mail.”
“We’re asking everyone to please follow through on this,” Gilich said. “We’re asking you to check with your family, friends and neighbors. Please make sure they have responded. It’s vitally important.”
How to respond: To respond online, go to 2020census.gov. All you need is your address. To complete your information by phone, call 844-330-2020 for English; 844-468-2020 for Spanish; or 844-461-2020 for Vietnamese.
Respond online now
News & notes: Splash pad, water notice, council
Temporary closure: The Margaret Sherry splash pad, off Popp’s Ferry Road, is temporary closed for repairs and maintenance. The City’s Parks & Recreation Department, who maintain the city’s four splash pads, expects to reopen the facility on Friday. To see more about the Parks & Recreation Department, click here.
Water notice: During routine inspection of the city water system,  inspectors noted some discoloration in water at the Porter Avenue water tank. The tank was taken offline and will remain offline until all issues are resolved. In the meantime, water service to the area is being provided by other city tanks and wells. If area residents experience any cloudy water, call the Biloxi Public Works office at 228-435-6271.
Council meetings: The Biloxi City Council held two meetings on Tuesday afternoon, a budget hearing regarding the upcoming fiscal year spending plan and a regular scheduled meeting. To see the recordings of the two meetings, which also air daily on BTV, click here.
