Valuation remains above $1 billion

RBC I Despite a reduction of about $14 million in the county’s 2010 assessed value, for the second year in a row the total has surpassed $1 billion.
The county’s 2010 assessed valuation, which won’t be finalized until December at the time of re-certification, is $1,147,565,000, as of July 9. That’s compared to the record-breaking 2009 assessed valuation of $1,161,209,220, which represented a milestone. The 2009 taxable assessed value was the first time the county’s valuation exceeded the $1 billion mark.
“We’re not down a whole lot, about 2 percent,” said Renae Neilson, county assessor. “The value is down on the west end of the county, mainly due to the price of oil.”
“At least that’s a better report than many commissioners are getting,” said Ken Parsons, chairman of the board of county commissioners.
Neilson gave her 2010 protest valuation report Monday at a meeting of the commissioners.
Here are highlights from the report, by the numbers:
• Total real and personal property (excluding industrial, oil and gas and natural resources) assessed value — $92,462,720.
• Total industrial assessed value — $326,856,340.
• Total natural resources (coal, nahcolite, stone) assessed value — $34,090,960.
• Total oil and gas assessed value — $611,642,080.
• There were 15 drilling rigs operating in Rio Blanco County in 2009. Seven rigs were in operation in the county all 365 days of the year. Six rigs were apportioned from other counties and two rigs in the county were stacked.
• There were 24 real property protests: 12 were adjusted, three were satisfied and nine were denied.
• There were 65 personal property and oil and gas protests: 27 were adjusted, four were satisfied and 34 were denied.
• The 2009 state assessed value, including personal property, for Rio Blanco County was $82,512,900. The 2010 state assessed value will be released Aug. 1, Neilson noted.