BAKERSFIELD, Calif. -- It happens once every decade and the time to fill out the census survey is here as surveys began arriving by mail Monday.

The ten question census survey is important for dozens of reasons, but it boils down to legislative districts and federal funding. Funding that goes to a wide range of services and areas throughout Kern County.

From public works projects and public safety to job training centers and school districts, the census has an impact on just about everything.

"There's over $300 billion in federal funds and even more in state funds at risk and they apportion it depending on how many people are living in Kern County on April 1st," Dedre Ahl, the Asst. County Administrative Officer and Chairperson for the County Complete Count Committee said.

Cities, counties and other jurisdictions apply for federal and state dollars based on census information, money that has and continues to influence life downtown.

As the mill creek project has received such funding and the two officers assigned to patrol the area are paid by a federal grant that is tied to stimulus information.

Those kinds of grants and construction projects are part of the reason why local governments have established committees to help get every person counted, especially since the county has its fair share of so-called hard to count demographics.

"In general people of color, people of low income levels, low education, limited English speaking people and young men, 18 to 25 are also hard to count," Ahl said.

That is why there has been a media barrage by the census bureau and others to improve on the 72-percent of residents who returned forms ten years ago because for every form not returned it costs $57 for a door-to-door visit, which could cost the government as much as $1.5 billion.

And with forms arriving this week this won't be the last time you hear this message.

"It's easy," said Reyna Olaguez, with the U.S. Census Bureau office in Bakersfield. "It's only ten questions. It's confidential, no one has access to this information. The purpose of the census is to count so we can distribute the $400 billion and it is very, very important because of that."

If anyone has questions about the survey, the local U.S. Census Bureau office can be reached at 695-3520 or you can visit the Census' Website at: 2010.census.gov