After months of deliberation and heavy backlash from local homeowners, the Garden City Board of Trustees will finally begin enforcing $150 parking permits proposed back in November, according to a Thursday announcement by Mayor Robert Rothschild.

Finalized at Thursday’s Board of Trustees meeting, the plan will go into effect March 15, charging residents and business owners for parking in heavily-used lots.

Every ten years the U.S. Constitution requires that a census take place, which is the counting of every citizen. The data collected helps determine how much federal funding can be given to communities for things such as hospitals, senior centers, bridges, tunnels, etc. It also determines the number of seats each state can take in the House of Representatives.

In March 2010,the Unites States will be issuing the new census. Forms will be delivered to each residence in the Unites States, as well as Puerto Rico. There will be ten short questions for each citizen to answer and mail back in a prepaid envelope.  In an effort to get citizens more involved in the 2010 Census, the Portrait of America Road Tour will send thirteen vehicles throughout the Census Bureau’s twelve regions. Participants will hear and see why the census is important and why it will make a difference to their community. 

A  letter from Regional Director Lester A. Farthing, as seen on the Incorporated Village of Hempstead website, states that the New York vehicle “Liberty” will be making a stop in Nassau County.  He says “Road tour events will encourage community leaders, performers, artists, and Census partners to participate in a fun way for locals to learn more about the makeup of their community. Census Bureau staff will conduct interviews, record public service announcements, distribute customized promotional items, and provide educational materials about the 2010 Census.”