"... The actual Enumeration shall be made within three Years after the first Meeting of the Congress of the United States, and within every subsequent Term of ten Years, in such Manner as they shall by Law direct. ..."

- The Constitution of the United States, Article I, Section 2.

A census of the population of the United States is required by the U.S. Constitution every 10 years.

To fulfill that obligation, the federal government hires people to serve as enumerators to count people in the area in which they live who didn't complete their census forms.

In Kosciusko County, the search continues for people to be enumerators, a job that pays $10.50 per hour plus 32.5 cents per mile. The job will last four to six weeks. The federal government pays workers weekly by direct deposit.

"It makes it perfect for someone who wants to make a little extra money," said Leanne Coffman, who is administering the test for potential workers.

Enumerators can be as young as 16 or 17, but federal rules prohibit 16- and 17-year-olds from driving for the job.

Test times are 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. Monday through Friday at American Legion Post 49, Warsaw. Additional test times are Wednesdays at 6 p.m. and Saturdays at 9 a.m.

"The American Legion Post has been very gracious in allowing us to use their (facilities)," said Coffman. "They understand how important this is."

Applicants need to take their driver's license, Social Security card and three business and three professional references. Applicants also will have to fill out paperwork for the census to verify the provided information. Veterans should take their DD 2-14 forms, the separation papers from the military that tell what kind of discharge the veteran had and list the ribbons the veteran received, where they served and the amount of service.

The basic skills test is only 30 minutes.

Just because a person applies doesn't mean they will get the job. The information will be sent to the South Bend census office for verification. Once the information is verified and a person is hired, training will last three to four days. Training and mileage to training are paid.

"The census is important because this is how we get federal dollars for schools. This is how we get tax dollars for highways," said Coffman. "It's a nice job."

An enumerator also has flexible hours. Though they are asked to work 25 to 40 hours per week and some evenings and weekends, the hours are flexible. Workers set them on their own. Also, Coffman pointed out, the job isn't permanent and it's for a good purpose.

However, the job availability won't last forever. Coffman said if someone wants to be hired, they should take the test as soon as possible.

The U.S. Census is an Equal Opportunity Employer as long as a person doesn't have a handicap that would prevent them from walking up flights of stairs.

Applicants cannot be a current tax collector, assessor or police officer; cannot work on the census until 24 hours after participating in a partisan political event; must pass the criminal background check; and males 18 years and older must be registered with the Selective Service.

For more information, interested people can call the South Bend office at 888-325-7733 or stop in at the American Legion post testing site during test hours. Coffman said she would be willing to do additional tests for people if the current times do not work. The testing station at the American Legion Post is the only permanent testing site in the county.

Mike Davis, of the American Legion, said the Legion supports the census "because the American Legion feels there should be a proper counting of the people of the United States." He said they encourage people to work for the census because "we need people out there to see the county be accurately counted."

The census must be completed and on President Clinton's desk by Dec. 31. [[In-content Ad]]