Anita Springston, an attorney and former Lakewood city councilor, told Denver City Council during the July 28 public comment period that her elderly parents received a 110% property tax increase and have appealed the assessor’s valuation through the courts.

Springston said her parents, both in their mid‑80s and Denver residents for 54 years, were assessed after a decade of neighborhood redevelopment near Sloan’s Lake and that the assessor’s office changed comparable sales used in the appraisal. She said the assessor’s representative, identified in the transcript by name, spoke to her frail father in a way she described as “abuse and disrespect.”

“We appealed to the Court of Appeals and are set for oral argument October 21,” Springston told council. She added that the city is spending more funds defending the appraisal than the additional taxes her parents would have paid, and said the city’s appraisal concluded the property was not being used for its “highest and best use,” an appraisal standard discussed in the transcript.

A separate speaker in the transcript referred to the Colorado Revised Statutes and to published procedural materials; Springston and that speaker differed about whether the available information had been sufficiently explained to property owners. The July 28 public comment record contains no city decision on the matter; Springston said litigation is ongoing.

Why it matters: the comment raises local concerns about assessor practices, procedural transparency, and the municipal costs of litigating tax appeals involving elderly homeowners. Springston’s statement that oral argument is scheduled provides a specific, verifiable court date.

Next steps: the matter is before the Colorado Court of Appeals with oral argument scheduled for Oct. 21, according to Springston’s remarks.