FLORENCE, AZ (March 26, 2020) – Pinal County has started accepting External Agency Fund applications. Such grants are through the County's general fund to award non-governmental or "external" agencies that contribute to the County's cultural, social, and economic vitality.

Here are some highlighted details about the application process:

• To apply for a funding application go to the Pinal County website: pinalcountyaz.gov/Grants/Documents/AgencyFundingApp.pdf
  
  
• Nonprofit service providers who applied for fiscal year 2019/2020 will receive new applications.
  
  
• New nonprofit service providers can obtain an application through the website or by contacting the County Manager's Office at 520-866-6212.
  
  
• Return completed applications to the County Manager's Office at 135 N. Pinal Street, Florence, AZ 85132, or email Jeanne Curry at jeanne.curry@pinal.gov. All applications must be received by April 10, 2020. Incomplete applications will not be accepted and returned to the applicant.
  
  
• The completed application package will be sent via email from the County Manager's Office to members of the Funding Application Committee.
  
  
• Guidance from the Funding Application Committee will ensure applicants meet the requirements to suit community needs and promote benefits to the general public, as opposed to special interests or persons. The Funding Application Committee will convene between 4/20/2020 – 4/27/2020 to review completed packages and rate applications using a scoring matrix.
  
  
• A presentation to the Board of Supervisors will follow depending on the scoring of the applications. The meeting may take place on 5/12/2020 or 5/26/2020 (optimal schedule).

The External Agency Funds are awarded annually to nonprofit organizations offering programs or services in Pinal County that align with the Pinal County strategic goals.

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FLORENCE, AZ (March 20, 2020) – Pinal County appreciates how our residents are coming together in these extraordinary circumstances. We want to ensure the health and safety of our families, neighbors, friends, and communities.

Our employees are equally just as important, and we greatly value their level of effort to continue to best serve you in this challenging time. Pinal County staff will continue to enact a high level of quality work. Pinal County leadership, the board of supervisors, and various partners will continue to take full responsibility to remain informed, involved, and prepared to help meet the evolving challenges resulting from the Novel Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19).

To support efforts in slowing the spread of the virus below you will find solid, reliable information about COVID-19 and a list of changes being made by Pinal County. During this time, our thoughts go out to all that have been impacted. United we can slow the spread, please read the following details.

COVID-19 Hotline
A COVID- 19 hotline has been set up to answer any questions from the public and healthcare providers about testing, symptoms, and any other questions you have about the virus.

Call 1-844-542-8201 to reach a healthcare professional.

What is COVID-19?

• COVID-19 is an infectious disease caused by the most recently discovered coronavirus. This new virus and infection were unknown before the outbreak began in Wuhan, China, in December 2019.
  
• It is part of a larger family of viruses called coronavirus, some of which are usually in circulation and can cause illnesses like the common cold.
  
• You can learn more about the coronavirus disease 2019 at the CDC website.

Staying Up-To-Date This is a rapidly evolving situation, and the Pinal County Public Health Services District (PCPHSD) is closely monitoring any new developments. www.pinalcountyaz.gov/Coronavirus facebook.com/pcphsd twitter.com/pcphsd

Help Stop the Spread of COVID-19 The President released new federal guidelines to mitigate the spread of COVID-19.

Pinal County Sheriff's Office
PCSO has closed public lobbies at all of our substations and jail to prevent the spread of COVID-19. Our locations remain fully staffed. Please call our receptionist if you have any questions.

Our substation locations and their corresponding phone numbers can be found here: https://bit.ly/2TYV4ie

The lobby of our main station in Florence will stay open. Fingerprinting will only be available to sex offenders mandated by law. Property releases from the evidence unit will be postponed until normal business resumes.

In addition, for low and medium priority calls, going forward you may be asked to complete your report over the phone. Expanding over-the-phone reports will help limit exposure to the public and for our deputies. For high priority calls, our deputies will still respond in person. Please call 911 for emergencies and 520-866-5111 for non-emergencies.

"Keeping the community and our deputies safe and healthy is our number one priority. We won't stop doing our duties because of COVID-19, but you may see a few changes," said Sheriff Mark Lamb. "Please call us if you need us, we are in this together."

Declaration of Emergency Earlier today, Pinal County evaluated aDeclaration of Emergency to help in the fight against the spread of COVID-19. The Board of Supervisors approved to abide by the actions addressed from the Office of Governor Doug Ducey. This measure would further assist in protecting public health by allowing access to federal emergency funds and making it possible for individuals and businesses to receive federal financial assistance. County Manager Louis Andersen is asking Pinal County residents to remain flexible and work together. "This is a remarkable County," said Andersen. "In challenging times such as this, let’s continue to show how strong and united we can be." "Today our Board Chairman asked me to adjust our Civic Leave Policy to allow our employees additional volunteer opportunities. This is a perfect example of how we strive to enrich lives beyond expectations."

Relief for Small Businesses Pinal County is very pleased to hear the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) approved an Economic Injury Disaster Loan declaration for Arizona that will help small businesses impacted by COVID-19. Click here for more information.

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