FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                                    April 18, 2001

CARY, NC – The Town of Cary is now offering a Spanish language version of its popular new Citizen’s Guide to Services. Guía Ciudadana de Servicios is currently available free on the Town’s website—www.townofcary.org--under WHAT’S NEW, with 1,000 paper copies being printed and available in May at no charge to Spanish-speaking Cary residents who drop by Town Hall to request one.

"As our community becomes more diverse, we continue to look for new ways to put all of our citizens in better touch with their government," said Town of Cary Public Information Officer Susan Moran. Based on the 2000 Census, just over 4,000 Hispanic and Latino people call Cary home.

Moran added that Cary is also currently evaluating which Asian language the Guide will be translated into, since an estimated 8.1 percent of the population is Asian, comprising the largest minority group in Cary.

"One of our communication focuses this year is to expand our website by offering multi-language versions of the same information, and translating the Guide is the most efficient and effective way to work towards that goal."

From "accident reports" and "concerts" to "maps", "solid waste collection", and "utility billing payment options", the 50-page Spanish-language document is a mirror image of its English counterpart. In addition to the extensive alphabetical listing and explanation of services, Cary’s new Guía Ciudadana de Servicios includes sections about the Town’s history, management, vital statistics, and budget as well as information on how citizens can become more involved in Town government.

In February, the Town completed and mailed nearly 33,000 paper copies of the English version of the Guide to households in Cary. In addition to the hardcopy version, an electronic version of the English Guide is available on the Town’s website for easy download by residents or businesses that want a number of copies for their use.

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