It isn’t every day that you are being sought out for being ‘very special’ or “very important”.

Our City of Jeanerette is looking for 187 persons of all ages who DID NOT GET COUNTED on the 2020 Census Report which was received in the mail some months ago.

It’s easy to put aside an official looking envelope that you might have gotten in the mail months ago. The date for returning it may have passed, so it was eventually thrown out. But for those who did not return the short page of general information that was being asked for, there is a second chance now to correct that.

“And it is so important that you come to City Hall and request an amended Census Form. Just 187 people — men, women, AND children who live in our town will make an enormous difference in the funding for the next 10 years!”

There is a very important reason why Mayor Carol Bourgeois Jr. and the Jeanerette City Council are seeking to “find” those people.

“We all know Jeanerette needs grants, etc. to be able to function efficiently — to fix water, sewerage, and roads. We depend on the state and federal government to help fund our budgets to supplement what our citizens are doing. The amount of money — the size of the checks — depends on how many people are actually living in our town.”

For many years Jeanerette had an official population of more than 5,000, which meant it was in the category of being a “city” which meant thousands of dollars in those grants. But if the headcount does not reach that important number again as a result of the 2020 Census, Jeanerette’s classification will be reduced to being a “town” again. The result will be less financial help from the state and the national treasury.

“We can’t afford to make do with less!” says Mayor Bourgeois. He is urging those persons who did not fill in a few questions on the census form to come to City Hall and do so now.

JULAINE DEARE SCHEXNAYDER

NEW IBERIA