BAS_2016_2018_Supporting Statement Part B_final

Department of Commerce

United States Census Bureau

OMB Information Collection Request

Boundary and Annexation Survey

OMB Control Number 0607-0151

Part B – Collection of Information Employing Statistical Methods

This collection does not use statistical methods, such as sampling, imputation, or other statistical estimation techniques.

1. Universe and Respondent Selection

The Boundary and Annexation Survey (BAS) universe and mailing materials vary depending both upon the needs of the Census Bureau in fulfilling its Censuses and household surveys and upon budget constraints.

Counties or equivalent entities, federally recognized American Indian Reservations, Off-Reservation Trust Lands, and Tribal Subdivisions are included in every BAS.

In the years ending in 8, 9 and 0, the BAS includes all governmentally active counties and equivalent entities, incorporated places, legally defined Minor Civil Divisions (MCDs), and legally defined federally recognized American Indian and Alaska Native areas (including Alaska Native Regional Corporations). Each governmental entity surveyed will receive materials covering its jurisdiction and one or more forms. These three years coincide with the Census Bureau's preparation for the Decennial Census. There are fewer than 40,000 governments in the universe each year.

In all other years, the BAS reporting universe includes all legally defined federally recognized American Indian and Alaska Native areas, all governmental counties and equivalent entities, MCDs in the six New England States and those incorporated places that have a population of 2,500 or greater. The reporting universe is approximately 14,000 governments. The Census Bureau follows up on a subset of governments designated as the reporting universe.

In the years ending in 1 through 7, the Census Bureau may enter into agreements with individual states to modify the universe of MCDs and/or incorporated places to include additional entities that are known by that state to have had boundary changes, without regard to population size. Each year, the BAS will also include a single respondent request for municipio, barrio, barrio-pueblo, and subbarrio boundary and status information in Puerto Rico and Hawaiian Homeland boundary and status information in Hawaii.

In the years ending in 6 through 9, state participants in the Redistricting Data Program (RDP) may request coordination between the BAS and RDP submissions for the Block Boundary Suggestion Project (BBSP) and Voting District Project (VTDP). The alignment of the BAS with the BBSP and VTDP will facilitate increased cooperation between state and local governments and provide the opportunity to align their effort with updates from state and local government officials participating in the BAS.

As part of our partnerships developed with state and county governments, the universe is modified with local knowledge to target those governments known to have changes and not follow up with governments with no changes to minimize unnecessary burden.

The final stage is the State Certification program, which allows state level agencies to verify that the status and boundary updates received through the BAS were accomplished according to state law. During each cycle of this program, Governor-designated State Certifying Officials review listings of incorporated place legal boundary and functional status changes reported to the BAS during the previous year. The extent of the State Certification program varies depending on the laws governing annexations, deannexations, incorporations, and disincorporations in the given state. The State Certification program helps to ensure that all levels of government represent boundaries consistently and accurately.

To improve boundary quality in the Census Bureau's Master Address File/Topologically Integrated Geographic Encoding and Referencing (MAF/TIGER) System, the Census Bureau is introducing the Boundary Quality Assessment Reconciliation Project (BQARP), to assess, analyze, and improve the spatial quality of legal and administrative boundaries within MAF/TIGER.

2. Procedures for Collecting Information

A partner may report a “no change” response through returning the paper postcard or letter, via e-mail or on-line electronically. The Census Bureau produces a simplified set of materials (small-scale maps and forms) for entities that reported no changes in the last BAS. Our paper map participants can also download digital representations of their boundaries from the internet in PDF format, or they can request a DVD of their PDF maps.

Our digital partners have multiple options for participating in the BAS. Beginning in FY 2016, our digital partners may submit BAS updates via the Geographic Update Partnership Software (GUPS). GUPS is free to all participants wishing to participate digitally. GUPS is a specifically designed boundary, feature, and address update tool that is accessible by all partners, regardless of their GIS experience or access to the internet.

In addition the Census Bureau will offer an electronic response option for those files that meet quality standards. GUPS, along with its accompanying spatial data files, is available for download free from the Census Bureau’s Internet site, or the Census Bureau, upon request, can send the BAS materials to the participant via DVD. In addition, a partner may send in their changes for the boundaries and features electronically through e-mail, Secure Web Incoming Module (SWIM), or by mailing us CD/DVD media.

3. Methods to Maximize Response

Response to the BAS is voluntary but is vital for ensuring that boundaries are accurately represented in MAF/TIGER. A response rate of 85 percent by September 30 of every year is required for the program. Response can consist of reporting that there are no boundary changes or providing boundary changes. The Census Bureau works to maximize response by offering a wide variety of means of response. A “no changes” response can be collected by a returned postcard, letter, email, or through online response. Responses indicating changes can be submitted in paper form, digitally, and electronically through various options.

In addition, the Census Bureau offers two types of consolidated responses for governmental units to respond to the BAS. The first type of consolidated response is the Consolidated BAS (CBAS) program. The Census Bureau offers consolidation agreements to counties that are interested in submitting boundary and feature changes for the legal governments (incorporated places and MCDs) within their jurisdiction.

The second type of consolidated response offered by the Census Bureau is a state agreement. Two types of BAS state agreements are available to states that enforce laws requiring local governments to report all boundary changes to a designated state agency. Under the first type of agreement, the state reports boundary changes for all incorporated places, MCDs (if applicable), and counties within its jurisdiction to the BAS. Under the second type of agreement, the state provides the Census Bureau with a list of local governments that reported boundary changes to the state. The Census Bureau uses this list to target those specified local governments for the BAS. Through this partnership, the Census Bureau aims to reduce the duplication of effort among the various levels of government, and to reduce the cost burden associated with the annual BAS.

Telephone follow-up with designated officials is included in the program in order to reach the mandated response rate. Response is expected to be 50 percent through electronic means based on prior experience.

4. Tests of Procedures or Methods

No testing is planned in relation to this package.

5. Contacts for Statistical Aspects and Data Collection

This collection does not use statistical methods, such as sampling, imputation, or other statistical estimation techniques. For more information, contact Robin A. Pennington (301) 763-8132, [email protected].

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