Letter: Taxes fund services

As directed by state law, the county assessor is responsible for valuing all property in the county. During intervening years, only property owners who have a valuation change will receive a Notice of Valuation from the Rio Blanco County Assessor’s office. Property owners who receive a Notice of Valuation around May 1 of this year had new construction, demolished property, a change in the use of their property, or a correction/adjustment was made to their records since last year. If you did not keep your 2009 Notice of Valuation, please refer to the tax notice you received from the Rio Blanco County Treasurer in January 2010 or call the assessor’s office at 878-9410.
The value on your Notice of Valuation will be used in the calculation of your property taxes for the 2011 tax bill you receive from the County Treasurer in January 2011. The actual value of your property is multiplied by an assessment rate before taxes are computed. Residential property has been assessed at 7.96 percent since 2003. Vacant land and commercial property are assessed at 29 percent. The different rates are required by the Constitution; and, they stabilize the proportion of the tax burden paid by residential property owners. Colorado procedural and statistical standards for mass appraisal, and equity of assessment for real property, are some of the most stringent in the United States. Colorado assessor offices are audited yearly by the state of Colorado.
Your property taxes support many of the entities (schools, municipalities, fire districts, cemetery districts, etc.) governed by local citizen-elected boards. These entities provide services to Rio Blanco County citizens.
If you wish to appeal your classification or value, Colorado law requires the county assessor to hear objections to real property valuations beginning no later than May 3. Appeals must be postmarked or submitted in person to the assessor no later than June 1.
If you have any questions, please call 970-878-9410.
Sincerely,
Renae T. Neilson
Rio Blanco County Assessor