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​Monday April 20 2020

BOE Resolution to Declare a Vacancy ​

Resolution to Declare a Vacancy 
 
WHEREAS, Colorado Revised Statute Section 22-31-129-1 (i) allows a Board of Education to declare a vacancy in the school director office as a result of a duly elected board member's passing. 
 
 ​
Resolution to Declare a Vacancy 
 
WHEREAS, Colorado Revised Statute Section 22-31-129-1 (i) allows a Board of Education to declare a vacancy in the school director office as a result of a duly elected board member's passing. 
 
 
School District C-1, passed away. 
 
BE IT RESOLVED that, in accordance with state law, the Board now declares a vacancy in this school director office on this date, April 141h, 2020, and this vacancy will be filled by appointment by the Board within 60 days from this date in accordance with the following procedure: 
  1.  Interested persons are invited to send a letter to the Board with a statement of interest and related experience by May 12th, 2020 to the following address:   
Custer County School 
P.O. Box 730 Westcliffe, CO 81252
     2.   
The Board will interview prospective candidates on May 19th, 2020 at a public meeting.   
​
     3.   
No Person is eligible to hold public office unless that person fully meets the qualifications for office. To be eligible for appointment, a candidate must be a registered elector of the school district for at least twelve (12) consecutive months prior to the date of appointment. The candidate must also be a resident of the director district (District Cl) in which the vacancy exists. Any person who has been convicted of a sexual offense against a child is ineligible for the office of school director. Each candidate for appointment to the vacancy shall establish his/her eligibility to hold office by submitting a sworn affidavit attesting to his/her qualification   
​
​
 4.   The appointee will serve until the next regular school biennial election in November 2021.
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U.S. Census Bureau updates public on their operations during COVID-19 closure

U.S. Department of Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross and U.S. Census Bureau Director Steven
Dillingham Statement on 2020 Census Operational Adjustments Due to COVID-19
APRIL 13, 2020 — The 2020 Census is underway and more households across America are
responding every day. Over 70 million households have responded to date, representing over 48% of all
households in America. In light of the COVID-19 outbreak, the U.S. Census Bureau is adjusting 2020
Census operations in order to:
  •  Protect the health and safety of the American public and Census Bureau employees.
  •  Implement guidance from federal, state and local authorities.
  •  Ensure a complete and accurate count of all communities.
The Census Bureau temporarily suspended 2020 Census field data collection activities in March. Steps
are already being taken to reactivate field offices beginning June 1, 2020, in preparation for the
resumption of field data collection operations as quickly as possible following June 1.
In-person activities, including all interaction with the public, enumeration, office work and processing
activities, will incorporate the most current guidance to promote the health and safety of staff and the
public. This will include recommended personal protective equipment (PPE) and social distancing
practices.

Once 2020 Census data collection is complete, the Census Bureau begins a lengthy, thorough and
scientifically rigorous process to produce the apportionment counts, redistricting information and other
statistical data products that help guide hundreds of billions of dollars in public and private sector
spending per year.

In order to ensure the completeness and accuracy of the 2020 Census, the Census Bureau is seeking
statutory relief from Congress of 120 additional calendar days to deliver final apportionment counts.
Under this plan, the Census Bureau would extend the window for field data collection and self-
response to October 31, 2020, which will allow for apportionment counts to be delivered to the
President by April 30, 2021, and redistricting data to be delivered to the states no later than July 31,
2021.

- Press Release from the U.S. Census Bureau

All community residents must re-register with Everbridge

Sign up for Emergency Alerts! 
If we can’t reach you, we can’t alert you! 
Subject: How Will You Stay Informed About Emergencies? 
Your safety is our top concern – that’s why Custer County wants to make sure you know about emergencies and incidents as they happen. 
Custer County will use Everbridge to make sure you know about issues that may affect your safety like fires, floods, and tornados. This system allows Custer County to contact thousands of residents in seconds so you can find out about an emergency right away.
Get up-to-the-minute  information about severe weather, road closures, and much more! 
Receive important messages from Custer County via email, phone, and much more! Go to custercountygov.com and look for “Emergency Alerts” on the home page. 
How Does It Work? 
The process begins when Custer County issues a message about a potential safety hazard or concern. Next, Everbridge sends a message through your primary contact path. If you don't confirm receipt of the message, the system will try to reach your second contact path and continues trying to reach you until you confirm receipt. 
The success of this service relies on YOU. Having your latest contact information is the only way to ensure that we can contact you in an emergency. Please sign up at custercountygov.com, look for “Emergency Alerts.” – it only takes about a minute to enroll! 
Thank you in advance for you cooperation and participation in this important program! Sincerely, 
Meredith Nichols, Custer County Emergency Manager 
Custer County Respects Your Privacy!! 
We will never share or distribute your personal information, unless required to do so by law. Additionally, we will never use your information for any purpose other than to send emergency notifications or information pertaining to Custer County. 
- For more information, call 719-357-7859 or email aanderson@custercountygov.com 
www.custercountygov.com
 

Labor Department announces update on unemployment benefits

STATE LABOR DEPARTMENT ANNOUNCES UPDATES ON UNEMPLOYMENT
BENEFITS FOR SELF-EMPLOYED, MORE ACCESS TO CLAIMANT SUPPORT

The Colorado Department of Labor and Employment announced effective Monday, April
20, it will begin taking unemployment benefit applications under the CARES Act (Coronavirus
Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act), paying the additional $600 per week in unemployment
benefits and launch other new points of access for unemployed workers to obtain information.
“Colorado’s Unemployment Insurance program - like all UI programs across the country - has
been under unprecedented strain for the last month,” said Joe Barela, Executive Director of the
Colorado Department of Labor and Employment during a press conference announcing the new
benefit rollout, which includes unemployment to self-employed and independent contractors.
“On Monday, we will be able to begin accepting applications for these new worker groups
who previously were not eligible for regular unemployment, while we will also begin paying the
extra $600 benefit provided under the CARES Act,” said Barela.

The Department stood up a brand -new online application system to begin taking these claims
under the CARES Act. By leveraging an existing system in development, Colorado will be
among the first group of states to accept applications and pay benefits.

“We don’t know what the volume will look like into our new system because not only do we
not know how many gig workers are out there, we don’t know how many of them will apply for
unemployment. But we have expanded tools and on Monday will have systems in place to begin
taking these applications and provide other resources,” he said.

There are several provisions within the CARES Act that provide enhanced or extended
unemployment benefits for workers. 8All of these new benefits are paid for by the federal
government and eligible claims will be backdated so claimants will not lose out on benefits due
to the waiting period to submit an application (see below).

New claims that fall under one of the new allowed situations for unemployment under the
CARES Act will be taken through a new system. Claimants will submit claims, manage their
benefits and request payment through this new online system.

This includes gig workers, independent contractors, self –employed, and those who are out-
of -work because of a number of reasons directly related to COVID-19, including caring for a
child whose school is closed or someone who tested positive for COVID-19.

Regular unemployment benefits will continue to be processed through the existing systems so
anyone currently on unemployment does not need to take any action.

The CARES Act also provides an additional $600 of unemployment benefits per week on top
of a claimant’s weekly unemployment benefit. This additional benefit, known as Federal
Pandemic Unemployment Compensation or FPUC, does not require a claimant to take any
action, is retroactive to March 29, and will begin hitting active claimants accounts as soon as
next week, for weeks of unemployment prior to April 15.

“We are working as quickly as we can to get these benefits into the hands of people who are in
need during these unpredictable and unprecedented times,” said Barela.
The Department also announced a new call center to take these new claims and a Virtual Town
Hall to answer claimant questions.

A new 80-person remote call center will go live Monday, April 20, to help manage claimant
questions and overflow from the existing call center by addressing questions directly related to
CARES Act benefits. Additionally, two Virtual Town Halls will be offered on Monday, April
20th - one at 9:15 a.m., and one at 11:30 a.m., specifically for Spanish- speaking claimants.
Registration for both Virtual Town Halls is available at www.coloradoui.gov.
More About the CARES Act and Benefits
​
Pandemic Unemployment Assistance or PUA, is the program that will provide unemployment
benefits, up to 39 weeks, to those not ordinarily eligible for them. This includes gig workers,
individuals who are self-employed or contract employees, those who cannot telework while
obeying a shelter order, and even those who have exhausted regular unemployment insurance
benefits. It also includes workers who were directly impacted by COVID-19, such as needing to
care for a child whose school is closed or a dependent who tested positive for COVID-19 (see
worksheet). This benefit is retroactive to February 2, 2020.

The Federal Pandemic Unemployment Compensation program, or FPUC, provides $600 per
week to any individual eligible for any of the Unemployment Compensation programs. This
benefit begins March 29, 2020 and extends through July 25, 2020.
Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation, or PEUC, provides for an additional 13
weeks of benefits beyond the standard maximum of 26 weeks for traditional (regular)
unemployment benefits.
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PO Box 1179
Westcliffe, CO 81252

​719-315-6172