SELMA — Dallas County and Selma officials have kicked into high gear in preparation for the census count.

Dallas County commissioners will prepare a letter to send out to all churches in the county to ensure members or parishioners know the importance of filling out the census questionnaire when it arrives in the mail around April 1.

“We will never miss a chance to talk about how important the census is to us,” said Kim Ballard, probate judge and chairman of the commission.

An area loses about $1,000 per year for every person missed in the count, he said.

Dallas County was undercounted in the 2000 census, meaning during the last decade the county lost about $600 million, Ballard pointed out during Monday’s commission meeting.

Later Monday the Complete County Committee met to discuss ways of having people participate in the census.

“It’s down to the real wire,” said Mayor George Evans, chairman of the committee. “We need to do everything we can right now to get this done.”

Evans pointed out the census form has only 10 questions on it and requires about 10 minutes to fill it out.

Those 10 questions include, according to the 2010 census Web site:

1. How many people were living or staying in this house, apartment or mobile home on April 1, 2010?

2. Were there any additional people staying here April 1, 2010, that you did not include in Question 1?

– Children, such as newborn babies or foster children

– Relatives, such as adult children, cousins or in-laws

– Nonrelatives, such as roommates or live-in baby sitters

– People staying here temporarily

– No additional people

3. Is this house, apartment or mobile home

– Owned by you or someone in this household with a mortgage or loan? Include home equity loans

– Owned by you or someone in this household free and clear (without a mortgage or loan)?

– Rented?

– Occupied without payment of rent?

4. What is your telephone number? We may call if we don’t understand an answer.

5. Please provide information for each person living here. Start with a person living here who owns or rents this house, apartment, or mobile home. If the owner or renter lives somewhere else, start with any adult living there. This will be person 1.

6. What is Person 1’s sex? Male Female

7. What is Person 1’s age and what is Person 1’s date of birth? Please report babies as age 0 when the child is less than 1 year old.

8. Is Person 1 of Hispanic, Latino or Spanish origin?

– No, not of Hispanic, Latino or Spanish origin

– Yes, Mexican, Mexican American, Chicano

– Yes, Puerto Rican

– Yes, Cuban

– Yes, another Hispanic, Latino or Spanish origin Print origin, for example, Argentinean, Colombian, Dominican, Nicaraguan, Salvadoran, Spaniard and so on.

9. What is Person 1’s race?

– White

– Black, African Am., or Negro

– American Indian or Alaska Native Print name of enrolled or principal tribe

– Asian Indian

– Chinese

– Filipino

– Other Asian Print race, for example, Hmong, Laotian, Thai, Pakistani, Cambodian, and so on.

– Japanese

– Korean

– Vietnamese

– Native Hawaiian

– Guamanian or Chamorro

– Samoan

– Other Pacific Islander Print race, for example, Fijian, Tongan and so on.

10. Does Person 1 sometimes live or stay somewhere else? No Yes

– In college housing

– In the military

– At a seasonal or second residence

– For child custody

– In jail or prison

– in a nursing home

– For another reason

If more people were counted in Question 1, continue with Person 2.