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Committee rejects four‑payment property tax plan; sponsors later move to postpone indefinitely
Summary
After extensive testimony from counties, treasurers, small‑business and senior advocates, the House Finance Committee declined to send Representative Espinosa’s four‑payment property tax bill forward and then postponed it indefinitely at the sponsor’s request.
The House Finance Committee heard more than three hours of testimony, then voted down and ultimately postponed indefinitely House Bill 11‑99, a proposal to allow certain taxpayers to pay property tax in four installments.
Representative Espinosa said the bill was driven by constituent requests — including from small‑business owners and seniors — who struggle with large, irregular property‑tax bills. The sponsor described a narrowed, amended version that would: delay implementation by one year (to give treasurers time to adapt systems), limit eligibility to taxpayers who have paid off their mortgages (to avoid escrowed accounts) and restrict the requirement to counties with populations over 500,000 unless smaller counties opt in.
County treasurers and public‑trustee witnesses from El Paso, Larimer, Mesa and Routt counties strongly opposed the bill. They cited high first‑year implementation costs for software and staffing (multiple witnesses provided six‑ and seven‑figure estimates for large counties), potential disruptions to school district cash flow and bond payments tied to June distributions, and administrative burden and taxpayer confusion. The state treasurer’s office took an amend position and said it might need staff and operational changes to support any forward‑funding mechanism.
Supporters from AARP Colorado, local small‑business groups and the Colorado Competitive Council said the option would help fixed‑income households and small businesses manage cash flow and avoid delinquency. Witnesses for Jefferson County and other supporters noted Colorado previously allowed multiple installment payment options during the pandemic and reported high collection rates.
The committee first voted on a motion to move the bill to the Committee of the Whole with a favorable recommendation; that motion failed on a roll call (5‑8). Immediately after, Vice Chair Tatone moved to postpone the bill indefinitely and the motion carried without objection, removing the measure from further consideration this session.
Ending: The bill received extensive testimony and technical amendments but was not advanced; it was postponed indefinitely following the committee’s negative vote and sponsors’ decision to withdraw.
