Municipal officials call for technical assistance hub and targeted help for under‑resourced towns ahead of 2030 Census

City and town officials and local equity directors told the Senate Committee on the Census that local staff capacity varies widely and that smaller municipalities will require targeted technical assistance to mount effective 2030 outreach.

"Towns and cities are charged with a huge task when it comes to the Census," said Jill Harvey, chief equity officer at the Massachusetts Municipal Association. Municipalities need translated materials, targeted guidance on renters versus homeowners, and assistance conducting address reviews and group‑quarters inventories, Harvey said.

Why it matters: Localities implement address canvassing, help residents understand who in a household should be counted, manage municipal outreach events, and maintain the trusted local relationships that persuade nonresponding households to participate.

What officials recommend: A centralized Commonwealth hub should provide: standardized, plain‑language translations; training modules for municipal staff and volunteers; GIS support to identify hard‑to‑count tracts; and grants to support local staffing. Witnesses also recommended embedding disability and language access experts on planning committees so municipalities can meet accessibility obligations.

Next steps: Municipal leaders asked legislators to consider funding targeted municipal assistance and to ensure the Secretary of the Commonwealth has the staff and technical capacity to support hundreds of local complete count committees across Massachusetts.

Source material: Testimony by Jill Harvey and Dave Kaufman (Massachusetts Municipal Association) and other local leaders at the Oct. 31 hearing.