COLORADO SPRINGS, Colorado — El Paso County Commissioners are lowering their mill levy ahead of property tax statements going out next year. The county estimates the reduction will provide roughly $20 million in relief. Tax bills will still be higher, just not as high as they would be without the reduction
Homeowners were notified of increasing property valuation earlier this year, by an average of 44 percent.
County Commissioner Carrie Geitner explained at a news conference the mill levy reduction is intended to keep county revenue under the TABOR growth cap.
"Now we are adjusting that mill levy down and so that is where the relief is coming from," Geitner said.
The Taxpayers Bill of Rights (TABOR) limits revenue growth year to year by a combination of population growth and inflation. Revenue surpluses must be refunded unless voters approve otherwise.
Geitner explained El Paso County wants to avoid collecting too much.
"In this case, we were above what could be collected primarily because of those large assessment rates," she said. "And so, TABOR is the mechanism that says hey, you can't go above that cap."
The commissioners also bristled at a letter sent last week by Governor Jared Polis calling on local governments to reduce property taxes in light of the failure of Proposition HH.
Commissioner Longinos Gonzalez Jr. said the board was already preparing to lower the mill levy weeks before the November election and subsequent special session of the state legislature.
"This is why the letter sent out by the Governor is so insulting. He's saying in his letter, asking for local governments to do something we already normally do and then trying to take credit when we do this," Gonzales said.
The commissioners sent a letter in reply criticizing Polis and state lawmakers for making life more expensive for Coloradans.
"To the State Legislature and to the Governor, please help us to limit the unfunded mandates and loss of local control that have come through several pieces of legislation from the state in recent years," said Commissioner Stan VanderWerf. "These harm local budgets."
The county mill levy reduction is not final. The board must vote on the updated number and get it to the treasurer by early January. The deadline to make those changes was extended because of the uncertainty this year surrounding Proposition HH and the special session.
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