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El Paso County treasurer pitches new monthly property tax payment portal to Fountain council
Summary
El Paso County Treasurer Chuck Berman presented a new escrow‑style property tax budget billing portal allowing property owners to spread payments monthly and access exemptions or deferral programs; staff and council asked about eligibility for exemptions and outreach to seniors and veterans.
El Paso County Treasurer Chuck Berman presented a new property tax budgeting service to the Fountain City Council on Aug. 12, telling residents the county now offers a secure cloud portal that lets property owners prepay and spread property tax payments in manageable monthly amounts.
Why it matters: The program is intended for owners who no longer have escrowed taxes through a mortgage and who want to avoid large lump‑sum tax bills. Berman said the portal (escrowtax.com or via the El Paso County Treasurer website) supports ACH payments, debit cards and some digital wallets; the county auto‑balances payments and notifies account holders of changes.
Berman reviewed other county property‑tax assistance programs: the senior homestead exemption (residents 65+ and at least 10 years in the home), disabled‑veteran exemption, and a property tax deferral program that places a lien to allow eligible homeowners to defer payment until a later date or estate settlement. He said the county will coordinate outreach with organizations including AARP and Pikes Peak Council on Aging and that the program costs approximately $1 per month to participate (staff encouraged using ACH rather than credit card).
Council members asked whether exemptions (veteran, senior) are automatically recognized by the portal; Berman said exemptions attached to the property would be applied automatically. The treasurer offered to send informational cards to the city and discussed planned meetings with senior centers and other community groups to promote the service.
