Some of our Daily Post readers may have filed a protest with the Archuleta County Assessor’s office, challenging the higher (in some cases, much higher) property valuations announced in May.
In fact, a significant percentage of our Daily Post readers may have filed a protest.
The valuations will form the legal basis for higher property taxes in 2024. Whether we want them or not.
At the Board of County Commissioners work session on Tuesday, County Attorney Todd Weaver stated that he’d talked with County Assessor Tully-Elliot to get an estimate of the number of protests filed by the June 8 filing deadline.
About 2,000 protests. In a community with about 8,200 households.
Based on historical trends, maybe 200 will be appealed to the Board of Equalization?
Here’s Commissioner Brown:
“I wanted to see it any of my fellow commissioners have given any further thought, or done any more research, on us potentially appointing independent referees for the Board of Equalization.”
Commissioner Ronnie Maez:
“I had some additional information brought to me. I’m still not sold on the idea. But I’m still open for more communication and more justification for it. I don’t like forming bureaucracy, or even adding the expense of a bureaucracy to Archuleta County. You know, finances? I think it’s a job that we were voted in to do, and it’s our responsibility to do it.”
As I understand the protest process (I’ve never actually protested a valuation in my 30 years as a property owners in Pagosa) the County Assessor’s staff will meet with each of the 2,000 protesters; hear their reasons for believing that their valuation is incorrect; and explain to them why the Assessor believes the valuation, based on comparable sales during the appraisal period (July 1, 2020 through June 30, 2022) is accurate. If the Assessor and the property owner cannot come to a mutual agreement, the property owner has the option to file an appeal with the Board of Equalization. The appeal must be filed by July 15.
In years past, the BOE is typically the three commissioners. But during a previous period of large valuation increases, between 2006 and 2009, the Board of County Commissioners had enlisted the help of paid referees to help process the appeals. As I recall.
If the property owner is not satisfied with the results of the BOE appeal, the owner can appeal further to the State Board of Assessment Appeals. Here’s a 13-minute video from the Department of Local Affairs website:
It boggles my mind to imagine our Assessor’s Office staff processing 2,000 protests by July 15. At fifteen minutes per protest, that would add up to 500 hours of meetings, which is 63 eight-hour days.
Here’s County Commissioner Brown:
“For my perspective, [appointing a team of referees to advise the BOCC during the BOE appeals] creates an independent group of experts in the field, to give an independent analysis of what’s presented, at the time it’s heard, and then we — the BOE — would make the final decisions based on the recommendations from the independent referees.”
We might note the word, “independent”, appearing three times in that one sentence.
Would such “independence” make the taxpayers more comfortable?
Commissioner Maez wondered how the public would feel about this, and if it would be possible to survey the public. Like, soon.
Commissioner Veronica Medina:
“So I’ve thought a lot about [hiring referees] and I did some research. We will ultimately have to make the decisions, but with an independent committee [of three referees]… there are other counties that do this. And some other counties have other processes, and I did some research, and with the number of appeals that might come before us — there could be a lot — I know with my experience I would understand the process, and I know both of you would get it… but I’ve heard from some constituents who feel very strongly that the commissioner should not be doing this…”
Given that higher valuations will ultimately generate more tax revenues, and given that the BOCC has traditionally tried to collect more taxes whenever possible (example: the proposed 37.5% sales tax increase sought last year) we can understand why taxpayers might want an “independent” board to make recommendations during the appeals process.
Commissioner Medina:
“We still have to make the final decision, even after forming this committee of other people, of independent…”
Commissioner Maez:
“At $70 an hour?”
Apparently, that’s the hourly wage paid in Douglas County for this independent committee work. (Maybe we could pay something less in Archuleta County? Or even… get volunteers?)
Commissioner Medina:
“I understand what you’re saying, Commissioner Maez, about creating more bureaucracy and taxpayers having to pay for it. But I’m torn, because I feel like we need to do the right thing for the people of this county. To help continue to build the trust, and the transparency of what we are doing. There’s nothing we can do about what’s been done historically, and all of that. The only thing we can do, today, is to shine a bright light on everything we are doing, so that the people can see we are doing our best to be as transparent as we possibly can.
“And I feel like — and just what I’ve heard from a handful of people — they would appreciate it, if there were a third-party to listen to their appeal. And then, later, we make the decision based on that information…
Commissioner Medina acknowledged the idea of doing a survey to get the community’s temperature on this issue, but…
“…but the longer we delay this… we’ve got to select people; we’ve got to come up with criteria. Some of the criteria that I’ve thought of is a minimum of eight years of local experience, being a realtor or an appraiser, and being in good standing with [the Department of Regulatory Agencies]. So if they are no longer practicing, that’s fine. But they are still in good standing…”
We would not want to hire a realtor with outstanding ethical issues, for example.
Bill Hudson began sharing his opinions in the Pagosa Daily Post in 2004 and can’t seem to break the habit. He claims that, in Pagosa Springs, opinions are like pickup trucks: everybody has one.