NIAGARA FALLS — The City of Niagara Falls has a lot riding on the outcome of the 2010 U.S. Census.

Which is why in the coming weeks city officials are planning to work with area block clubs, churches and community organizations to make sure all residents do what they need to do to be counted.

“The fastest, easiest way to take care of this is to fill out the form,” said Mayor Paul Dyster. “If you fill it out and send it back, you’ve done your part. You don’t have to worry about it anymore.”

The Census Bureau started delivering forms to residents in the Falls and neighboring communities this week. This year’s head count is of particular importance to the city which could be in danger of falling below an important population threshold. Once home to 102,000 people in 1960, there are indications that the city’s population may dip below 50,000 for the first time in decades.

Census numbers drive key decisions at the federal level. The data determines the level of representation each state will have in the U.S. House of Representatives and is used by state lawmakers to re-draw electoral districts.

In the city, the outcome of the nationwide population survey is expected to have the biggest impact on operations at the Community Development Department.

As a city with more than 50,000 people, Dyster said Niagara Falls automatically receives allocations of federal funds for community improvement efforts each year. Should the city drop below the 50,000 range, Dyster said the city would lose those guaranteed dollars and be forced to compete for its share of federal funds with other communities.

“The nice thing is that those funds are already there for us,” Dyster said. “The last thing we would want to see is a greater burden put on our community development department by having to apply for those funds.”

Dyster said the city’s status as a city is not in jeopardy as some have suggested. What could be at stake is the city’s funding status as well as its standing in the eyes of the state and federal governments.

“I think this is a challenge for us,” Dyster said. “From our standpoint, the worst thing people could do is not answer the Census because they think ‘why bother?’ I think that would be utterly self defeating.”

Niagara Falls had a favorable rate of return during the previous Census in 2000. That year, 76 percent of the city’s population responded to the survey, compared to 66 percent statewide and 72 percent across the entire country.

Robert Coffey, a spokesperson from the U.S. Census Office in Buffalo, said completing and returning the Census form is not only an obligation under the law, but also the best way for citizens to save themselves some money. The Census estimates that the cost of the process could be reduced by as much as $1.5 billion if every household returned the Census form in the pre-paid envelope as recommended. In the coming weeks, Census workers will start visiting homes where forms were delivered, but not returned. Coffey said the bureau is required to visit those homes up to six times in an effort to get a response. On average, he said, the door-to-door process cost is $57, compared to the pennies allotted for the pre-paid envelope delivered with each form.

“If people would just mail it back, it’s going to save money,” Coffey said.

Some people bristled at the bureau’s decision to send advance notices last week in an effort to alert residents to the pending arrival of their census forms. Coffey said the move was based on research that shows people are 6 to 12 percent more likely to respond to surveys when they receive advanced notification of their delivery. For every 1 percent increase in deliverable response rate, Coffey said the government saves an estimated $85 million. The advanced notices also helped guard against residents being victimized by scam artists, according to Coffey.

The Census bureau insists that all information collected during the survey process is used to produce statistics only and cannot be used against individuals by any government or court. Coffey noted that all Census Bureau employees work under an oath of nondisclosure and are sworn for life to protect the confidentiality of the data. Violators are subject to fines of up to $250,000, up to five years imprisonment, or both.

Coffey’s message to residents is simple: Fill out the form and send it back.

“It’s 10 questions,” he said. “It is the shortest form in history. Put it in the postage-paid envelope and put it in the mail. The information is safe, it’s easy, it’s quick and it’s important.”