Property owners in Douglas County are reeling from a court decision that keeps their tax bills inflated. In a move that’s sparked a heated battle between local and state officials, homeowners are now on the hook for nearly 4% more in taxes after the State Board of Equalization (SBOE) and subsequent Denver District Court ruling rejected local attempts to alleviate tax burdens.
In 2023, acting to counteract the sting of soaring property values, Douglas County leaders attempted a property tax salve with a 3.87% reduction, however the SBOE wasn’t having it, tossing out the County’s plan and prompting a lawsuit from the Commissioners who contended that the decision, which was holden to scrutiny from the Denver District Court this past March 12th, smacked of politics and unfair targeting, according to Douglas County.
Commissioner Abe Laydon, the Board Chair, did not mince his words when he labeled the state's actions as an “outrageous overreach,” a sentiment published on Douglas County's official website at https://www.douglas.co.us. Nonetheless, local officials argue that their tax reduction was in lockstep with legal requirements, emphasizing a disparity in the state’s approach, especially when similar reductions in surrounding counties went unquestioned and unchallenged.
Pointing out this incongruity, Commissioner Kevin Van Winkle stressed to Douglas County that affluent communities like theirs were being singled out, with disparities glaring as Adams County's commercial valuations were cut by 5.7%, and Boulder County's by 5.47% in commercial and 12.9% for vacant land; Costilla saw a 9.52% residential dip, while Pitkin's natural resources got a 33.47% slash, all without any form of repercussion or reverse by the SBOE.
