A Democrat Led Legislature Prevent Douglas County's Property Tax Relief

Colorado's ongoing property tax issue has taken another twist as one county's efforts to alleviate the burden on homeowners were rejected by the state.

Douglas County’s Board of Commissioners proposal to lower property values as a means of reducing property taxes was met with disapproval from the State Board of Equalization on Monday.

Douglas County Commissioner Abe Laydon expressed his frustration Tuesday during a public event, stating, "The state property tax system is broken. A five-person political board just stole $28 million in tax relief from homeowners like you by acting outside of the law." The county's plan aimed to lower property values for all owners by 4%.

The State Board of Equalization unanimously voted 5-0 to reject the move.

This decision has left local governments with no recourse to provide property tax relief to Colorado property owners, who have been seeking relief for over a year. Democrats in the legislature have repeatedly failed to address this issue, and even during the "extraordinary" special session, no relief was provided to Colorado property owners.

Surprising many, board member, Democrat Colorado House Speaker Julie McCluskie emphasized that reducing property taxes is not their primary role. Senator Chris Hansen, another Democrat on the board, expressed concern that Douglas County's decision would have broader implications, leaving the local school board with an $8 million deficit that the state would need to fill.

Local firefighters and fire board members also voiced their opposition, pointing out that the county's reduction in property values would negatively impact their funding and create conflicts among neighboring fire districts.

Again, all of this could have quickly and easily been fixed during last legislative session or during the ‘extraordinary’ special session with the introduction of a bill by either Colorado House Speaker Julie McCluskie or Senator Chris Hansen.

Governor Jared Polis expressed disappointment with the board's decision, stating, "While Douglas County's approach isn't a long-term solution, it did provide relief this year. We need a long-term balanced approach from the blue ribbon commission, and I look forward to seeing their work in the coming year."

READ MORE:

• GOVERNOR POLIS SHIFTS RESPONSIBILITY TO FIX THE LEGISLATURES PROPERTY TAX MESS TO LOCAL GOVERNMENTS

• DAY TWO: DEMOCRATS RAID TABOR AND AVOID PROPERTY TAX RELIEF

• WHAT WILL LAWMAKERS TACKLE DURING THE THREE-DAY SPECIAL SESSION?

• “A CALL FROM THE GOVERNOR, EVEN BEFORE THE POLLS CLOSED, TOLD ME THAT HE THOUGHT PROP HH WAS GOING TO FAIL,” HOUSE MINORITY LEADER REP. MIKE LYNCH.

Douglas County's commissioners have announced their intention to challenge the board's decision, citing the state statute that permits such challenges. They believe that the state Board of Equalization's goal should be to equalize property taxes across the state.

Despite the disagreement with the state board's decision, the governor encourages local governments to lower their mill levies, a move that Douglas County leaders have expressed their intention to do soon.

At least two other Front Range cities, Colorado Springs and Castle Rock, have reduced their mill levies slightly for the coming year. But those decisions were required by state and local tax restrictions, in either case — and not made in response to the governor’s public plea.

Any legal challenge will not see results immediately and would take a couple of months for the process to play out which again, thanks to Democrats in the legislature, leaves Colorado property owners in limbo.