Knoxville and Knox County will kick off U.S. Census 2020 with a newly formed Joint Complete Count Committee made up of community representatives. 

The initial planning meeting for the decennial Census will be held at 9:30 a.m. on Wednesday, May 8, 2019 in the Small Assembly Room of the City County Building.

Every 10 years, the federal government conducts a population count of everyone in the United States. The local effort is aimed at educating the public about the importance of participating fully in Census 2020.

The Joint Complete Count Committee will provide direction and feedback for working groups that will be established to maintain and increase the count of individuals, including demographic information.

Census 2020 will represent the first time in history that people may submit their forms electronically. 

Beginning mid-March 2020, households will get notices about completing Census forms.

In addition to determining the number of seats each state has in the House of Representatives, the information collected will determine how federal and state funding is distributed to Tennessee and to local governments.

The committee is co-chaired by Knoxville Mayor Madeline Rogero and Knox County Mayor Glenn Jacobs and includes the Town of Farragut, members of Knoxville City Council, Knox County Commission, and representatives of various organizations. 

The members of the Joint Complete Count Committee include:

• Mayor Madeline Rogero, City of Knoxville
• Mayor Glenn Jacobs, Knox County
• Mayor Ron Williams, Town of Farragut
• Chris Battle, Community advocate / urban farmer
• Ben Bentley, Executive Director / CEO, Knoxville's Community Development Corporation (KCDC)
• Justin Biggs, Knox County Commission
• Myretta Black, Director, Knox County Library
• Martha Buchanan, Director, Knox County Health Department
• Claudia Caballero, Executive Director, Centro Hispano
• Wayne Davis, Interim Chancellor, University of Tennessee, Knoxville
• Rick Emmett, Downtown Coordinator, City of Knoxville
• Larsen Jay, Knox County Commission
• Jane Jolley, Community Engagement Director, Knox County
• Barbara Kelly, Executive Director, Community Action Committee (CAC)
• Gwen McKenzie, Knoxville City Council
• Phyllis Nichols, Executive Director, Knoxville Area Urban League
• Rhonda Rice, Executive Vice President, Knoxville Chamber
• Bob Thomas, Superintendent, Knox County Schools
• Gene Thomas, Pastor, Canaan Baptist Church of Christ
• Stephanie Welch, Knoxville City Council
• Gina Whitmore, Director, Compassion Coalition
• Anthony Wise, President, Pellissippi State Community College

Additional facts about the 2020 Census can be found online in the U.S. Census Bureau’s fact sheet or on the City of Knoxville’s website at http://www.knoxvilletn.gov/census.