Property tax refunds are in the mail in Jefferson County. Why it's costing Colorado residents to get their money.

Colorado property owners in Jefferson County will receive nearly $40 million in tax refunds this week.

The county hit its revenue cap under the Taxpayer Bill of Rights -- or TABOR -- so Monday, it began mailing checks that average $185.

But, the checks are arriving with a flyer that's sparked some controversy. While the county could have just refunded the TABOR surplus by lowering property taxes, it mailed checks -- at a cost of $250,000 -- so it could include a flyer about the impacts of the refunds on services, as it considers a ballot measure to get rid of them.

"The county commissioners are going to use this letter to try to sway voters and lay the foundation for a ballot issue again next year," says Natalie Menten, a Jefferson County resident and government watchdog.

She has successfully fought previous attempts to lift the cap on how much revenue the county can keep under TABOR and points to a job posting by the county for a political consultant as proof it plans to try again.

She says county commissioners are only mailing TABOR refunds so they can include political propaganda, "It's a one-sided letter." 

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