EDITORIAL: A county tackles property taxes on its own

Our state’s elected leaders might as well be governing from Mars — so oblivious are they to the skyrocketing property taxes crushing Colorado homeowners. Sure, they enacted a token attempt at tax relief this spring and offered a lot of assurances they feel the public’s pain. Yet, our governor and Legislature have done little of substance to tame the property tax tidal wave.

Indeed, Coloradans are reeling from soaring property taxes as never before. Homeowners, among others, were stunned by property tax bills that leaped 25% or more this past spring.

State officials, however, have sat on their hands. It’s as if they regard high property taxes a bit like high interest rates — a new normal we’ll just have to get used to.

Voters will have a chance to second-guess them this November, when a cap and rollback of property taxes will be on the statewide ballot. Meanwhile, the government nearest the people — local government — also has some options to ease the pinch of property taxes.

Douglas County — the rapidly growing population center where property tax bills have surged as high as anywhere on the Front Range — is one such place that is showing the way.

As The Gazette reported this week, the county’s government has begun issuing refund checks to property owners to lessen the impact of soaring valuations. The county is sending back $37.8 million, or about $200 for each property owner.

For a lot of Coloradans, $200 is real money, and it can pay real bills. The refunds also make clear that in Douglas County, at least, elected leaders grasp what state officials don’t: taxpayers need relief more than our ruling class needs to grow government.

The county experienced some of the highest property tax valuation increases in the region — 47% for the median residential property.

The Douglas County Commission made the refund possible in January when it voted to lower the county’s mill levy. And that wasn’t the only effort by commissioners to lower property taxes.

Last September, the commissioners set in motion another policy that would have offered about $200 in relief per household — reducing residential property values 4%. That measure, however, was cut short by the state. The Board of Equalization, which reviews property valuation to ensure fair and accurate assessments across the state, rejected the plan.

The board’s ruling was based on reasoning that seemed vague and convoluted; its underlying motivation seemed clearer, though.

The board’s members — appointed by the governor and the legislative leadership — were among the architects of the Prop. HH. That was last fall’s failed ballot proposal that amounted to a tax hike disguised as a tax cut. Those same members also had opposed more meaningful property tax relief during the special session.

And they weren’t about to let Douglas County set what they no doubt regarded as a dangerous precedent — i.e., prioritizing local taxpayers above government programs.

But where there’s a will, there’s a way, and Douglas County commissioners are to be commended for seeing their way through.

“Throughout this historic increase in property assessments, we’ve advocated at the state level for change, and tried to help our citizens understand how we got here,” said Douglas County Commissioner Lora Thomas.

“As a priority outcome of our budget process, we are honoring our responsibility to reduce the tax burden for Douglas County’s portion of the tax bill.”

If the state’s elected leaders don’t step up to the plate, let’s hope more Colorado counties follow DougCo’s lead.