TRACKING YOUR $: Is the latest Census alert a waste?

Some are calling the government's latest attempt to convince people to participate in the U.S. Census a waste of taxpayer money.

For weeks, television and radio ads, news conferences led by politicians, and other promotions have been urging people to participate in the U.S. Census, which begins later this month.

This week 120 million homes received a one-page letter containing the same message.

No one at the Census Bureau could be reached to tell 5 EYEWITNESS NEWS what it cost to send out the letter. But the envelope says it is pre-sorted, first-class mail.

According to the U.S. Postal Service web site, pre-sorted, first-class mail costs 41 cents per letter, which means postage alone probably cost $49 million.

Phil Krinkie from the Taxpayers League of Minnesota said, "Sending me a letter saying, 'check the mailbox next week, there's going to be another letter,' just strikes me as an utter waste of taxpayer money."

Minneapolis residents who received the letter seemed to echo Krinkie's comments.

Alton Harper said, "I don't think it's a worthwhile expense. It's a waste of money when they could have just sent it all in one shot."

Another Minneapolis resident, Robin Russell, said, "I don't think it was necessary. I read the first sentence. I thought it was the form we were going to fill out and that's why I opened it. And, it went straight in the trash."

A spokesperson for the Census Bureau defended the decision to send the letter.The Census Bureau said market research indicates by sending out a letter in advance of a survey greatly increases the response to the survey. And if they have to follow-up with phone calls or knock on your door, that can cost $75 per household.

The cost of the census has grown from $10 per person in 1990 to $45 per person in 2010.