Posts tagged residents
County to help flood victims with income tax filing
Feb 4th
Residents invited to post-flood income tax workshop Feb. 12
Boulder County, Colo. – Residents whose homes were damaged or destroyed in the 2013 Flood, or local tax and personal finance professionals are encouraged to attend the workshop on Feb.12. Attendees will hear from disaster tax expert John Trapani, CPA.
Income tax help will be available to flood victims
The workshop will help residents navigate their income tax options following a major disaster:
When: Wednesday, Feb 12, 6:30-8:30 p.m. – Boulder County Courthouse, 1325 Pearl St., Commissioners’ Hearing Room, 3rd Floor
RSVP: www.UPhelp.org/RSVP
The workshop will cover several topics including:
· Income tax benefits and reporting responsibilities that can help and hurt people who experienced a disaster loss
· Major questions to be discussed:
o Is there a loss or gain? What tax year should you claim a loss? Sell 7 buy or rebuild?
· Documenting and claiming insured and uninsured losses
· Tax consequences of insurance settlements SBA loans, FEMA grants, etc.
· Special rules for federally declared disasters
· Determining your cost basis for damaged property
Attendees will have the chance to ask questions during a Q&A session.
Boulder County, the Long-Term Flood Recovery Group and United Policyholders host this free workshop
For more information about the workshop, visit www.accountantfordisasterrecovery.com or call Kerri Oliver at kerrioliver@gmail.com.
Scammers failing in Xcel ruse, so far
Jan 25th
Boulder police have received three complaints from local business owners who say scammers pretending to be Xcel Energy employees have targeted their businesses.
The complainants have shared similar stories with investigators that begin with a phone call claiming that the customer’s utility account is past due and is about to be disconnected within the next few hours. The victims are then told to pay the bill immediately via a wire service like Western Union or a prepaid debit card like MoneyPak. In one case, the phone scammer wanted to meet the potential victim to get the money in person.
Scammers demanding “late” payments. So far, it isn’t working.
The three businesses which were targeted received calls on Jan. 15, Jan. 17, and Jan. 20. In each case, the victims contacted police and Xcel to check that their accounts were in good standing.
So far, no one has fallen for the scheme and Boulder police would like to make sure that area residents and business owners are aware of the scam.
People should be wary of giving personal information like bank account numbers or social security numbers over the phone. It’s also a red flag if telemarketers use high-pressure tactics such as saying “you must pay now or lose your service.”
Anyone who has questions about their Xcel account may contact Xcel’s customer service center at 800-895-4999, or customerservice@xcelenergy.com.
Anyone who believes they may have been the victim of a phone scam may report it to the Boulder Police Department at 303-441-3333.
More assistance for flood victims
Jan 6th
Long-Term Flood Recovery Group of Boulder County is Now Accepting Requests for Assistance
Group is taking information about flood-affected residents with unmet needs
Boulder County, Colo. – The Long-Term Flood Recovery Group (LTFRG) has opened a phone line and website for anyone in Boulder or Broomfield counties seeking assistance related to unmet needs from September’s flood. Residents needing help are encouraged to fill out the very short contact form on the website or call the hotline number to leave a brief message. Volunteer members of the group will be returning residents’ messages to do an initial intake interview which will place residents in group’s system. Case managers will be assigned over the next several weeks to residents in need and act as a guide to available resources in the county and work with residents to develop a recovery plan. The LTFRG is volunteer-based and is in a start-up phase, so patience is requested of the community while the process is developed and streamlined.
Jamestown was hit hard in the flood
The LTFRG is charged with managing and distributing the Foothills Flood Relief Fund and also is working to secure additional donations. Donations can be made to the Fund which is housed at Foothills United Way, atwww.unitedwayfoothills.org.
The Long-Term Flood Recovery Group (LTFRG) has launched a website, at www.BoCoFloodRecovery.org, a phone number (303-895-3429) and email address (floodrecovery@unitedwayfoothills.org) for flood survivors to access and request assistance.
As the rebuilding and recovery phase proceeds, people in our community will need many resources, not all of which will be financial. The LTFRG will identify continuing needs for assistance and the process for allocating resources to ensure the long-term recovery of our whole community. Non-financial resources may include donations of critical products, volunteer construction crews, housing re-construction and repair assistance and supporting community visioning and planning processes. Ultimately, the goal is to support as many people who were affected by the September floods as possible.
The LTFRG is actively seeking volunteers for case managers and hotline responders. To sign up to volunteer, please visit http://volunteer.unitedwayfoothills.org/.
