As a former Census Bureau staff member and resident of this region, I am pleased the Supreme Court blocked the Trump Administration’s attempt to add a citizenship question to the 2020 Census.

This issue could have diverted the census from its central purpose of gaining an accurate head count of people living in the United States. This count is an important undertaking that has significant ramifications. Beyond determining the distribution of U.S. House seats, the U.S. Census provides data for planning to ensure that resources are spent wisely and efficiently, and in a way that adjusts to population trends and shifts. In this way, rural areas as well as urban centers like Toledo receive their fair share of federal resources.

We need to know how many youngsters are in communities so we can build enough schools. It is important to anticipate where we should build and upgrade roads. We must provide senior-citizen services and to ensure we have enough police on the streets and available emergency services.

These are resources that everyone uses, regardless of citizen status. If we do not get accurate census numbers, resources will not be properly distributed, including federal funds we send to Washington with the understanding they will be used for local projects.

Research shows that, the more questions that are on a form, the less likely people are to reply. Although census information is confidential, some people already hesitate to answer the questions, concerned that their information will be shared with government agencies. The citizenship question would have posed one more barrier to an already challenging task. And while it is not a 100 percent count, the American Community Survey already collects citizenship data.

Adding this question would have caused this vital endeavor to lose its focus.

Katy Rossiter is an assistant professor of geography, Ohio Northern University and lives in Findlay

The writer was a geographer with the U.S. Census Bureau for 11 years.

First Published July 7, 2019, 4:00 a.m.