Neighborhood News - Late February 2021

 

City of Aurora Housing and Community Services Neighborhood Liaisons   15151 E. Alameda Parkway, 4th Floor Aurora, CO 80012 Phone: 303.739.7280 AuroraGov.org

 

 

 

 

Greetings, Thank you for your interest in the city of Aurora's Housing and Community Services Department. We connect Aurorans to events, programs, and resources that build strong families, safe neighborhoods, and a diverse community. Additionally, we are a link between community members and their local government and serve as a trusted source of information for the Aurora community.   Inside your latest Neighborhood News:   ·    COVID-19 Resources ·    Engage Aurora ·    Special E-cycling Pricing ·    Arapahoe County Small Business Grant ·    Federal Tax Credit Reminder

 

COVID-19 Resources

 

Frequently updated: ·    City of Aurora: AuroraGov.org/COVID19 ·    State of Colorado: Covid19.Colorado.gov ·    Tri-County Health Department: TCHD.org/CoronaVirus ·    211 Colorado: 211Colorado.org

 

Engage Aurora

 

Explore Engage Aurora, new tool to make your voice heard   The city of Aurora wants to hear from residents, business owners, leaders and other stakeholders about the needs and wants of the community in a more active and ongoing way.   EngageAurora.org is a new tool the city launched this week, which is designed to help foster meaningful conversations online in addition to traditional methods such as surveys and town halls.   Given the pandemic, the limitations for in-person meetings has created an opportunity to explore new methods for the vital public input in city decisions. Engage Aurora provides that space for the community to review projects or ideas, make comments and have conversations with city staff and other community members.   All city departments have access to the engagement tool and its use will be all-encompassing, from emergency preparedness, water construction and recreation projects to mobility studies such as the Havana Street Corridor Study and visioning projects like the City Center study.   While Engage Aurora is easy to access and use, it is not the city’s intent to use this new engagement platform to replace traditional outreach, but rather to enhance public participation.   Pay a visit to EngageAurora.org and start the conversation. The city is listening, and we know you have ideas to share.

 

Special E-cycling Pricing

 

Special E-cycling Pricing at Techno Rescue in 2021   To better serve the community and provide access to as many residents as possible, the city of Aurora’s 2021 e-cycling events will be held at Techno Rescue—the city’s e-cycling partner—at their Aurora facility.   Special event pricing for electronics recycling for Aurora residents and nonresidents will be available on the following dates: • March 1 to 13 • April 26 to May 8 • Aug. 30 to Sept. 11 • Dec. 27 to Jan. 8   The facility is located at 3251 Lewiston St., Suite 10. During event dates, Techno Rescue will be open from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday, and from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday.   Most electronic items—desktop computers, laptops, cell phones, tablets, gaming equipment, consumer electronics and similar—are accepted. A fee of $5 will be charged per household/vehicle.   To address the rising costs associated with processing select electronics, the following additional fees will be applied to recycle these items:   ·    Liquid Crystal Display (LCD) monitors: $5 each ·    Cathode Ray Tube (CRT) monitors and most televisions 21 inches and under: $25 each ·    CRT monitors and most televisions 22 inches and over: $50 each ·    Floor model printers: $50 each ·    Projection, Digital Light Processing (DLP) and Console televisions: $100 each   CRT TVs with exposed and/or broken tubes will not be accepted, nor will appliances that contain refrigerant or coolant. Batteries, light bulbs, thermostats, smoke detectors and carbon monoxide detectors also will not be accepted. For a complete list of items that will not be accepted, visit AuroraGov.org/Recycle.   Techno Rescue, which is certified for electronics recycling and data destruction, wipes and physically destroys all data storage media to protect the identities of those who are recycling responsibly.   As a reminder, electronics tossed in the trash not only cause serious environmental problems, but also are banned from landfills in Colorado. The city of Aurora’s e-cycling events are supported by Environment Aurora, a citywide effort to think green. For more information, visit AuroraGov.org/Recycle.

 

Arapahoe County Small Business Grant

 

Arapahoe County extends relief funding for small businesses   Grants are for are businesses affected by COVID-19   Arapahoe County is administering a Small Business Relief Fund to support the most vulnerable small businesses throughout our communities. These businesses are at the very heart of our thriving economy but have been hit especially hard during the pandemic. Applications are open from Friday, Feb. 12, 2021 through Saturday, Feb. 27, 2021 at 5 p.m. This funding is authorized by the State of Colorado under recent legislation: SB20B-001, and this grant is an extension of the relief funds previously offered as a result of the bill. To qualify, businesses must meet certain criteria and eligibility requirements: ·    All applications must be complete and correct when submitted. Due to the time constraints placed on this program, inaccurate applications or applications missing any information will not be considered. ·    Pending the application volume and the available funding from the state, businesses with receipts less than $500,000 will be prioritized to receive grant funds first. ·    All remaining qualified applications will be awarded until the funding is expended. A complete list of guidelines is available at www.arapahoegov.com/SBRF.

 

Federal Tax Credit Reminder

 

Three federal tax credits are available this tax season to qualifying taxpayers to reduce your annual tax bill or contribute to a refund.   The Earned Income Tax Credit worth up to $6,600 in 2021 will provide working families with an economic boost next year. In addition, a new Colorado state law allows Individual Taxpayer Identification Number filers—many of whom are immigrant or refugee families—to claim the state EITC, which is 10% of the federal credit.   The Child Tax Credit is a partially refundable tax credit worth up to $2,000 per qualifying child and $500 per qualifying dependent. The credit is available for adjusted gross incomes under $200,000 for single filers and under $400,000 for married couples filing jointly. Families must meet additional eligibility requirements.   The Child and Dependent Care Tax Credit is a nonrefundable tax credit that provides 20% to 30% of up to $3,000 of child care and similar costs for a child under age 13, an incapacitated spouse or parent, and another dependent (and up to $6,000 of expenses for two more dependents) to allow parents or guardians to work. The value of the credit decreases for higher-income earners. Families must meet additional eligibility requirements.   Learn more about these federal tax credits at GetMyRefundCO.org or IRS.gov. And get free tax help if you earn $57,000 or less and estimate your refund at GetMyRefundCO.org.   Download this handy flyer as a reminder. Also available in Spanish, Korean, Vietnamese, Chinese, Amharic, Tigrinya, Burmese, Russian, French, Karen, Arabic and Nepali.

 

Get Connected & Stay Informed

 

Newsletter Sign-Up Town Hall Meetings   Council Meetings City Events Calendar   Property Search

City Newsletters: sign up to receive newsletters from various departments within the city of Aurora   Town Hall Meetings: listing of upcoming town hall meetings hosted by city council members to meet with community members and business owners.   City Council Meetings: listing of upcoming city council meetings. Aurora City Council meetings are held on scheduled Mondays at the Aurora Municipal Center, 15151 E. Alameda Parkway.     City Events Calendar: provides highlights of city of Aurora events, meetings, and classes.   Property Search: use this tool to locate your council member, code officer, police area representative (PAR) officer, and neighborhood liaison. To use, enter your address into the search bard at the top-left of the page, then click the appropriate tab below such as My Property.

 

City of Aurora | Housing and Community Services | Neighborhood Liaisons | 15151 E. Alameda Parkway, Ste. 4500, Aurora, CO 80012 | 303.739.7280