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[Federal Register Volume 66, Number 123 (Tuesday, June 26, 2001)]
[Notices]
[Pages 33946-33947]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 01-15988]

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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

Census Bureau

Boundary and Annexation Survey (BAS)

ACTION: Proposed collection; comment request.

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SUMMARY: The Department of Commerce, as part of its continuing effort 
to reduce paperwork and respondent burden, invites the general public 
and other federal agencies to take this opportunity to comment on 
proposed and/or continuing information collections, as required by the 
Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, Public Law 104-13 (44 U.S.C. 
3506(c)(2)(A)).

DATES: Written comments must be submitted on or before August 27, 2001.

ADDRESSES: Direct all written comments to Madeleine Clayton, 
Departmental Paperwork Clearance Officer, Department of Commerce, Room 
6086, 14th and Constitution Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20230 (or via e-
mail to: [email protected]).

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Requests for additional information or 
copies of the information collection instrument(s) and instructions 
should be directed to Nancy Goodman, Geography Division, U.S. Census 
Bureau, Washington, DC 20233-7400, or call (301) 457-1099.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Abstract

    The Census Bureau conducts the Boundary and Annexation Survey (BAS) 
to collect and maintain information about the inventory of, the legal 
boundaries for, and the legal actions affecting the boundaries of 
counties and equivalent entities, incorporated places, minor civil 
divisions, and federally recognized legal American Indian and Alaska 
Native areas. In addition, the BAS provides an opportunity for each 
jurisdiction to inform the Census Bureau about changes to the road and 
other map information within its territory, and requests information 
about the extent of addresses at the intersection of each road with its 
governmental boundary. This information provides an accurate 
identification of geographic areas for the Census Bureau to use in 
conducting the decennial and economic censuses, the population 
estimates, household survey, and other statistical programs of the 
Census Bureau, and the legislative programs of the federal government.
    Through the BAS, the Census Bureau asks each government to review 
the forms and maps for its jurisdiction to verify the correctness of 
the information portrayed. Each government is asked to update the maps 
to reflect current boundaries, supply information documenting each 
legal boundary change, provide changes in the inventory of governments, 
and add or change related map information, such as street network, 
street name, address break, and so forth, as applicable.
    The BAS universe and mailing materials vary depending upon the 
needs of the Census Bureau in fulfilling its censuses and household 
surveys. Federally recognized American Indian reservations, off-
reservation trust lands, and tribal subdivisions, are included in every 
survey. The Census Bureau also is considering including federally 
recognized American Indian off-reservation allotments as part of future 
surveys.
    In the years ending in 8, 9, and 0, the BAS includes all 
governmental counties and equivalent entities, incorporated places, all 
governmental minor civil divisions, and federally recognized American 
Indian and Alaska Native areas (including the Alaska Native Regional 
Corporations). Each governmental entity surveyed will receive a full 
set of maps covering its jurisdiction and one or more forms. These 
three years coincide with the Census Bureau's preparation for the 
decennial census.
    In the years ending with 2 and 7, the BAS includes all federally 
recognized American Indian and Alaska Native areas, all governmental 
counties and equivalent entities, minor civil divisions in the six New 
England states and those with a population of 10,000 or greater in the 
states of Michigan, Minnesota, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania and 
Wisconsin, and those incorporated places that have a population of 
2,500 or greater in all states.
    The remaining years of the decade--years ending in 1, 3, 4, 5, and 
6--the BAS includes all federally recognized American Indian and Alaska 
Native areas, all governmental counties and equivalent entities, minor 
civil divisions in the six New England states, and incorporated places 
that have a population of 5,000 or greater in all states.
    In the years ending from 1 through 7 the Census Bureau may enter 
into agreements with individual states to modify the universe of minor 
civil divisions and/or incorporated places to include additional 
entities that are known by that state to have had boundary changes, 
without regard to population size. In addition, the Census Bureau will 
include in the BAS each

[[Page 33947]]

newly incorporated place in the year following notification of its 
incorporation or any boundary change reported as part of the Count 
Question Resolution process. The BAS also will include each year a 
single respondent request for municipio, barrio, barrio-pueblo, and 
subbarrio boundary and status information in Puerto Rico and Hawaiian 
home land boundary and status information in Hawaii.
    To ensure the correct allocation of population and housing units 
for each household survey, the population estimates program, the 2002 
and 2007 Economic Censuses, and the 2010 Census, the Census Bureau will 
request information depicting the relationship of addresses to each 
legal boundary. The BAS asks each government to review and/or update 
information about the addresses that exist at their legal boundaries, 
where their boundaries intersect streets. This information assists the 
Census Bureau in correctly tabulating the data for each governmental 
unit.
    No other federal agency collects these data nor is there a standard 
collection of this information at the state level. The Census Bureau's 
BAS is a unique survey providing a standard result for use by federal, 
state, local, and tribal governments and by commercial, private, and 
public organizations.

II. Method of Collection

    During the next three years, the Census Bureau will be developing 
an electronic response option. This option will involve updating both 
the forms and maps electronically and the use of electronic signatures; 
the Census Bureau is working with the State of Georgia in a pilot 
program to develop this methodology. The Census Bureau will provide 
digital files to the State of Georgia after processing the 2001 BAS 
responses.
    A BAS package that includes the following items is mailed to each 
respondent:
    1. An introductory letter from the Director of the Census Bureau.
    2. The appropriate BAS Survey Form(s) preprinted with entity-
specific identification information:

BAS-1 and BAS-1A--Incorporated Places
BAS-CUO City BAS 2, BAS-2A, and BAS-CUO--Counties, Parishes, Boroughs, 
City and Boroughs, Census Areas
BAS-3 and BAS-3A--Minor Civil Divisions
BAS-4--Newly Incorporated Places or Newly Activated Places
BAS-5 and BAS-5A--American Indian and Alaska Native Areas

    3. A BAS Guide for Annotating the Maps.
    4. Special inserts, if applicable, for the entity.
    5. A set of maps showing the current boundaries of the entity.
    6. A return envelope.
    An official in each government is asked to verify the legal 
boundaries and update the maps, showing any street feature, revised/new 
address breaks, and/or legal boundary changes. The official is then 
asked to sign the maps and verify the forms and return the information 
to the Census Bureau.
    The Census Bureau inserts the boundary, address break, and feature 
changes into the TIGER system--the Census Bureau's geographic data base 
and associated data files.

III. Data

    OMB Number: 0607-0151.
    Form Numbers: BAS-1, BAS-1A, BAS-2, BAS-2A, BAS-CUO, BAS-3, BAS-3A, 
BAS-4, BAS-5, and BAS-5A. (A final list of inserts and letters will be 
included in the package submitted to the OMB for approval.)
    Type of Review: Regular Submission.
    Affected Public: State, Local and Tribal Governments.
    Estimated Number of Respondents:

2002 BAS--13,662 respondents per year 2003 and 2004
BAS--10,631 respondents per year
    Estimated Time Per Response: 3 hours.
    Estimated Total Annual Burden Hours:

2002 BAS--40,986 burden hours
2003 and 2004 BAS--28,257 burden hours
    Estimated Total Annual Cost: The estimated total annual cost is 
$6,996,310 for 2002 and $4,823,469 for 2003 and 2004. The Census Bureau 
based its estimate on the information from the Annual Survey of State 
and Local Government Employment. Using employment and payroll in the 
category ``financial administration,'' the main cost is for review and 
completion by local government employees whose pay averages $17.07 per 
hour.
    Respondent's Obligation: Voluntary.
    Legal Authority: Title 13, U.S.C. Section 6.

IV. Request for Comments

    Comments are invited on: (a) Whether the proposed collection of 
information is necessary for the proper performance of the functions of 
the agency, including whether the information shall have practical 
utility; (b) the accuracy of the agency's estimate of the burden 
(including hours and cost) of the proposed collection of information; 
(c) ways to enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the 
information to be collected; and (d) ways to minimize the burden of the 
collection of information on respondents, including the use of 
automated collection techniques or other forms of information 
technology.
    Comments submitted in response to this notice will be summarized 
and/or included in the request for OMB approval of this information 
collection; they also will become a matter of public record.

    Dated: June 21, 2001.
Madeleine Clayton,
Departmental Paperwork Clearance Officer, Office of the Chief 
Information Officer.
[FR Doc. 01-15988 Filed 6-25-01; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-07-P
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