Pueblo County Assessor Frank Beltran told commissioners July 15 that the county received 2,304 real‑property protests related to the 2025 valuation cycle, a marked decline from roughly 5,003 protests during the last reappraisal cycle.

Beltran presented the countywide 2025 valuation of all taxable real property at $2,699,625,040 and said the 2024 real and personal property assessed valuation was $2,433,000,008.75. He described a net difference as an increase of approximately $265 million in assessed value.

Beltran said the county is "always in arrears for the taxes" and explained that property tax bills lag valuation changes by a year, meaning owners who see a decline in valuation this year may not observe a lower tax bill until the 2025–26 tax cycle. "We're always in arrears for the taxes," he said.

He attributed the smaller number of protests in 2025 to a stabilized market: "We were averaging about 5% for commercial and 7% for residential, where in 2023, it was, like, 30% increase. So the market is not really going down. It's stabilizing out," Beltran said.

On personal property, Beltran said five late‑filing extension requests were received and three protests were ultimately filed on the personal property side. The assessor’s office performed 236 best‑information‑available (BIA) assessments for accounts that did not submit documentation; he reminded the board that properties assessed under BIA cannot later seek an abatement under state statute.

Beltran said the assessor’s office adjusted a number of filings after meetings with taxpayers, and said inspections and outreach remain part of the office’s efforts to explain valuations to residents.

Commissioners asked clarifying questions about the protest totals, the process for late filings and the relationship between assessed values and taxing entities’ decisions on mill levies. Commissioners and Beltran agreed the assessor sets valuations but does not set tax rates, which are established by individual taxing entities.

Beltran closed by noting four hearings were scheduled for the day and that two large protests (addresses 934 and 299 referenced by parcel) would be heard as part of the BOE docket.