CDBG-DR Procedures to Maintain a Comprehensive Website

Overview

The Colorado Department of Local Affairs (DOLA) is in receipt of Community Development Block Grant Disaster Recovery (CDBG-DR) funds from the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). DOLA will use these funds to carry out activities to address the long-term recovery needs resulting from the DR-4634 Marshall Fire and Straight Line Winds such as the reconstruction and rehabilitation of residential structures; the implementation of mitigation measures for future disasters; assistance with economic recovery for households and businesses impacted by the disaster; and reconstruction of infrastructure impacted by the disaster.

The following items will be prominently housed on the primary CDBG-DR web page:

• Action Plans and Amendments
• Quarterly Performance Reports
• Citizen Participation Requirements and Feedback
• Activity and program information for activities described in the Action Plan.
• Procurement Policies and Procedures

A separate web page, linked directly from the primary CDBG-DR web page (“home page”) will be maintained and updated with all required reports for the entire grant period. This page will specifically house the Action Plans and Amendments, Quarterly Performance Reports (QPR’s) submitted to HUD via the Disaster Recovery Grant Reporting System (DRGR), as well as any other regular reports to the public.

Additional separate web pages, linked directly from the primary CDBG-DR web page will be created and maintained with guidance, technical assistance materials, and other pertinent program-related materials and announcements as they become available. It is the intention of DOLA to ensure this website is a comprehensive resource for both members of the public and our partners in disaster recovery. One such resource will include a feature ensuring the public and participants are able to submit electronic comments and questions through the website, directly to a program administrator.

Updates will be made, at a minimum, on a quarterly basis to coincide with submission by participants of quarterly reports. Additional and more frequent updates will be made on an as-needed basis throughout the recovery process, and as significant events or community/stakeholder meetings are scheduled.

Maintenance and updates of information on the CDBG-DR website will be made in partnership with program administrative staff including contract and program managers, who will be responsible to provide material content. The Department of Local Affairs’ Public Information Officer in consultation with the CDBG-DR Program Manager will manage the website development and ensure updates are completed regularly.

Requirements

• Action Plan and Substantial Action Plan Amendments
  • Must be prominently posted for public comment for no less than 30 business days
  • Must be posted within 3 business days of submittal to HUD for approval and labeled as “Draft”
  • Once HUD approves, approved action plan must be posted within 3 business days
  • Approved Action Plan and Substantial/Non-Substantial Action Plan Amendments must be posted to website in reverse chronological order (most recent first)
  • Must be ADA compliant
  • Continue to provide translations of the Action Plan on the website for Limited English Proficiency (LEP) persons, as needed.
• Non-Substantial Action Plan Amendments
  • Must be posted within 3 days of submittal to HUD for approval and labeled as “Draft”
  • Once HUD approves, approved CDBG-DR Action Plan must be posted within 3days.
  • Approved DRGR Action Plan and Substantial/Non-Substantial CDBG-DR Action Plan Amendments must be posted to website in reverse chronological order (most recent first)
• Reports
  • Budget Reports
    • The budget reports will be posted to the website on a quarterly basis.
  • Project Progress Reports
    • The project progress reports will be posted to the website on a quarterly basis.; must be ADA compliant; provide translations of project process reports for LEP persons, as needed.
  • GIS Mapping of Recovery Investments
    • The GIS mapping report will be updated on an as needed basis.
  • Quarterly Performance Reports
    • Must be posted within 3 days of submittal to HUD for approval and labeled as “Draft”
    • Once HUD approves, approved QPR must be posted within 3 days
    • Approved QPRs must be posted to website in reverse chronological order (most recent first)
    • Reports must continue to be posted until all funds have been expended and all expenditures/activities have been reported
• Program/Operational Policies and Procedures
  • All policies and procedures must be posted
  • Policies and procedures will be updated as needed
  • CDBG-DR Program Manager will provide up-to-date list of CDBG-DR policies and procedures on DOLA’s CDBG-DR website.
• Procurement
  • All procurement policies and procedures must be posted upon adoption.
  • All CDBG-DR subrecipient RFP’s, RFQ’s, contracts and any amendments to those documents must be posted.
  • Contracts must be posted within 7 days of the contract (or amendment) being fully executed.
  • A summary of all procured contracts, including those procured by CDBG- DR subrecipients (e.g. a summary list of procurements, phase of procurements, requirements for proposals, and any liquidation of damages necessitated by contractor’s failure or inability to implement the contract, etc.) must be posted
• Points of Contact
  • A list of DOLA CDBG-DR staff will be maintained on the CDBG-DR website.
• Citizen Participation Plan
  • Must be posted and will be updated as needed
• Public Comments
  • The following will be posted to the website to facilitate receiving public comments:
    • An email address specifically for the purpose of receiving public comments for CDBG-DR
    • Mailing address for the DOLA CDBG-DR office.
  • The website will clearly identify the individual serving as the primary point of contact for all public comment related communications.
• Updates and Maintenance
  • Website must be updated monthly or as needed.
  • CDBG-DR staff will review the website monthly to ensure accurate and up-to-date content for public viewing on all CDBG-DR activities and opportunities.
  • Continue to provide translations of written materials on the CDBG-DR website for LEP persons, as needed (Action Plans, Substantial and Nonsubstantial amendments)
• Software
  • All content updates will be managed through the content management system.

Process Steps

Content Creation

• The CDBG-DR Program Manager and Program Assistant are responsible for drafting and monitoring content for the web page on a regular basis.
• All content must be approved by the CDBG-DR Program Manager prior to content upload.

Submitting a Website Change Request

• A Website Change request email must be completed and submitted by the requester. Requesters must complete the following fields:
  1. Title
  2. Requester Name
  3. Date of Request
  4. Description of what changes needs to be made
  5. What page/content/location needs to be changed
  6. Priority (Low/Medium/High)
  7. Is this a QPR? (yes/no)
• The CDBG-DR Program Manager will receive change requests and has final approval before submitting to the Department’s website manager.
• Requests will be submitted as needed and will be uploaded within 5 business days of approval receipt. For high priority items, content will be uploaded within 2 business days of approval receipt.

Emergency Content

For emergency postings, postings on weekends and/or holidays, the Website Management team must receive a written request via email from the DLG Deputy Director or the CDBG-DR Program Manager.

Below are examples of “emergency” situations:

• Requests that involve federal deadlines, i.e., posting a plan, public notice, etc. by a certain date per the federal government. Some must be posted immediately or the next day to meet the deadline
• Weather or disaster emergencies or building closings
• Requests directly from the Governor’s Office
• Requests directly from the DOLA Executive Director.
• Internal Server problems – Webmaster via help desk
• Web problems, such as bad links, missing pages, etc.
• Access problems – refer to Webmaster via help desk

Accessibility and Support

The State is committed to providing equitable access to our services to all Coloradans. Our ongoing accessibility effort works towards being in line with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) version 2.1, levels A and AA criteria. These guidelines not only help make web content accessible to people with sensory, cognitive, and mobility disabilities but ultimately to all people, regardless of ability. DOLA's websites are a part of a meaningful change in the improvement of inclusivity and accessibility of all State of Colorado services.

Upon request, DOLA will take reasonable steps to ensure meaningful access to their programs and activities by limited English proficiency persons, including members of protected classes, vulnerable populations, and individuals from underserved communities.

Upon request, All program guidelines, policies, reporting forms, and certain other program-supporting documents will be available in English and Spanish on the CDBG-DR website. The action plan all substantial amendments will be made available in English and Spanish. Additionally, written materials related to the management and notification to Applicants will be made available in both English and Spanish based on the Applicant’s preference established in their initial application.

If you have any comments or suggestions relating to improving the accessibility of our site, please don't hesitate to contact us by email at oit_accessibility@state.co.us and indicate the name of the intended website along with your message. Your feedback will help us make improvements.