On the record with ... Philip Rovang

Armed with 10-question surveys and a goal to help provide an accurate population count, census workers soon will hit the streets of Lake County.

On May 1, census workers are expected to begin knocking on the doors of county residents who did not return the surveys mailed out by the U.S. Census Bureau in March, said Philip Rovang, director of planning, building and development for Lake County government.

By providing an accurate count of the county’s population, residents can help ensure Lake County gets the federal and state funds it is entitled to, Rovang said.

The census-based amount of money that Lake County receives is used for a number of purposes, he said, including improvements to county roadways and public transportation systems.

How transportation funds are dispersed is based partly on the total lineal miles in a county, Rovang said, but also on population projections.

“We know that we’ve been behind the eight ball in trying to improve and renovate our existing transportation structure,” Rovang said. “But knowing the population projections now, and then being able [to estimate] what they will be in 2020 or 2030 will go a long ways in justifying the needs for renovating Route 83 or Route 173 or Green Bay Road.”

Rovang recently went on the record with Lake County Journal reporter Colin Selbo to talk about the census efforts in Lake County.

Selbo: What was the return rate on census forms from Lake County residents?
Rovang: Well, as of [April 9], we have had a response rate of around 73 percent. While that sounds good ... by the end of the mail-back period back in 2000, we had received about 80 percent. So, we're hoping that the residents living in Lake County will continue to keep filling out and returning their surveys, and bring [the response rate] up so we are very comparable to where we were 10 years ago.

Selbo: Are there any theories on why there has been a little bit of drop off in the response rate?
Rovang: Well, there are a number of things that are happening here in Lake County that I think are a little unusual as to, maybe, 10 years ago. We have quite a number of immigrants that have moved to this county. Both Spanish-speaking, but also eastern European-speaking people, who are maybe [not] used to surveys, and are a little hesitant to, maybe, fill those surveys [or] questionnaires out and return them. So, I think that is a concern that we really want to break through and just relieve people who are uncertain about how the results might impact them personally. It is not really a concern to them [because of] the privacy concerns that have been established by Congress as to the use of the results of those surveys. The second thing is quite unusual. ... Right now, Lake County, as of the end of February, had a 13.8 unemployment rate. So, there are a lot of people who are kind of in transit ... I think there is, kind of, a mobility here that is going on in a transitory way.

Selbo: Prior to 2010, what kind of work was done in Lake County in preparation for the census efforts?
Rovang: We have done a lot of things that started way back last fall. First of all, we wanted to make sure that all the corporate boundary maps were accurate and that all the subdivisions that had been platted and recorded were now recognized by the U.S. Census Bureau. If you think about it, we have always had a fairly high increase in population from year to year, and decade to decade that goes back at least to the 1950s. At one point, we were one of the fastest growing counties in the United States. ... So, we're very concerned that the number of people [who moved] to Lake County between 2000 and 2010, that all of them make sure that their numbers are counted.

Selbo: Once this information is collected, how is it going to be used by the county government?
Rovang: It is important to us for a couple of different reasons. One is, obviously, we get both federal and state funds that are based on population. Certainly, the number of people that are residing in the various jurisdictions of the county have a direct impact on the dollars that flow back in to the county. We pay a lot of taxes that go to Washington, D.C., and to Springfield. It's only right that we get back our fair share ... Having as many people fill it out as possible will give us the most accurate reflection when it comes to applying for federal funds or state funds.
Secondly, as a result of that, we start receiving funds that are related to a provision of social services to our community. For instance, the Housing and Urban Development Department in Washington, D.C., in most cases, determines their federal funding formulas based on population. This would allow us to get direct funds from the federal government to help with people who are in poverty, [or] who maybe are homeless. We get hundreds of thousands of dollars every year based on the population that we know are homeless, or verging on the very edge of becoming homeless. These kinds of survey results are the best way, basically, to prove to Washington that we need these kinds of funds ... Without those exact numbers, we would not be getting in as many dollars as we are. We are talking about, on an annual basis, $3 [million] or $4 million a year that come in to Lake County to assist with those people who are in need. So, the more people who fill them out the better.

Rovang lowdown:

Who he is: Director of planning, building and development for Lake County government
Village of residence: Lindenhurst
Education: Iowa State University in Ames, Iowa
Hobbies: Flying small aircraft, running and church-related activities
Favorite book: "Failure Is Not An Option" by Gene Kranz
Favorite musical genre: Light classical and musicals
Cubs or White Sox fan: Cubs fan