An unprecedented number of metro Denver homeowners challenged their surging property valuations this month, leading some counties to struggle to review all of the appeals by state-mandated deadlines.
Arapahoe County announced this week that its Board of County Commissioners approved an extension for the assessor’s office to review the more than 30,000 appeals it received. Other counties are paying overtime to employees, who are working nights and weekends, to meet deadlines.
In April, Colorado county assessors warned property owners that unprecedented gains in home values over the past two years — spikes of 33% to 47% across metro counties — would lead to record-setting valuations and significantly higher property taxes. Assessors then began preparing for high volumes of appeals from people who wanted to reduce their tax burden as much as possible.
It’s still too early for homeowners to know the exact impact on their tax bills because the various county commissions, school boards, fire districts and other taxing authorities have not set their annual millage rates. The new tax bills will come in January after rates are set in December.
That hasn’t kept taxpayers from reaching out to elected officials with their concerns. Douglas County was set to hold a public meeting Wednesday night to discuss property taxes.
“I know you’re concerned about your property taxes for next year. The number of calls and emails we’ve received is historic,” Commissioner Lora Thomas said in a county announcement. “We want to continue hearing from you and answering your questions. The situation might change significantly in the future so please remain engaged.”
In November, voters will be asked to weigh in on a ballot measure, called Proposition HH, that would change how property values are calculated into the tax formula, potentially saving homeowners hundreds of dollars on their tax bills.
State law says county assessors must review all property-valuation appeals and notify homeowners of the results by June 30, unless the county approves an extension that sets the deadline for Aug. 15. Several large counties including Douglas, Jefferson and Denver already had set an August deadline.
Appeals by the numbers
Adams County: 18,064
Arapahoe County: 30,772
Broomfield: 3,640
Denver: 24,000 (To date. Denver is still counting.)
Douglas County: 31,000
Jefferson County: 28,400
Source: Each county’s assessor’s office
Earlier this year, Arapahoe County Assessor PK Kaiser thought he and his staff would be able to meet the traditional June 30 deadline for reviewing appeals. But the overwhelming number led him to seek an extension. His office now has until Aug. 15 to send notices of determination to homeowners, according to a news release from the county.
The volume of appeals set a record for Arapahoe County, where the number more than tripled any amount filed in the past five years. In 2019, 9,040 people appealed, according to data provided by the county.
In Douglas County, the record number of appeals led Assessor Toby Damisch to approve overtime pay for employees, who are working nights and weekends, and to hire more temporary appraisers to meet that county’s Aug. 15 deadline, Damisch wrote in an email to The Denver Post.
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The county received about 31,000 residential property appeals this year, which is about one out of every five homeowners, he said.
“The record residential protest level absolutely required resource and procedural changes to complete the task, even by the extended deadline,” Damisch said. “We are committed to studying and determining every appeal independently before the deadline, and I’m confident we will succeed.”
Jefferson County Assessor Scot Kersgaard also said his staff is working “lots of overtime” to handle the 28,400 appeals his office received. That number is about four times higher than what was filed during the last valuation cycle in 2021.
If homeowners disagree with their assessor’s decision on their appeal, they can take the dispute to their county Board of Equalization for a hearing. Those hearings begin after Aug. 15 and run through October for counties where the assessor has an extended deadline. Other counties begin holding board hearings in July.
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