Mayor Dave Cieslewicz and Dane County Executive Kathleen Falk announced Thursday the creation of a committee aiming to encourage the public to participate in the 2010 federal census.

“The census defines who we are as a city, determines our representation at state and federal levels of government, helps us direct services in our community, and ensures we get our fair share of federal funding,” Cieslewicz said in a statement. “We are committed to working together to ensure the most complete count possible.”

Joshua Wescott, spokesperson for Falk, agreed the census is important for the community, adding the ultimate goal for the committee is to educate residents on the census and to encourage participation.

Wescott said an accurate count of the population generates various benefits for the community. He said the funding for a number of programs for Dane County rely on the population of the community, and it is important to have an “accurate number.”

According to a release from Falk’s office, one person counted in the census is the equivalent of $800 per year in terms of federal funding.

“It’s very much at our advantage to get as accurate [a] count as possible,” said Cieslewicz’s spokesperson Rachel Strauch-Nelson.

Wescott said the mayor and county executive appointed the committee with the aim to get people from “across the board,” accurately reflecting the diversity of Dane County.

The committee includes representatives from a variety of populations in Dane County.

UW spokesperson and committee member John Lucas said it is important to get the word out to students about the census.

He added he is hopeful the communication technologies available for this census will help to get the word out to students in the attempt to get a more complete count of the campus community.

According to Lucas, an internal university group will meet to discuss plans for the census in the campus community. One plan will be how to get students living in the dormitories participating in the census.

The 20-person committee meets for the first time today. According to the statement, it is expected the committee will meet “a handful” of times between now and the start of the census in spring.