Montezuma County lifts fire ban, denies two tax abatement petitions and approves consent items

Montezuma County commissioners on Sept. 23 adopted a resolution lifting the countywide ban on open fires and fireworks and, in separate votes, denied two property tax abatement petitions and approved routine consent-agenda items including $3,705,657.16 in August payables.

The board read and adopted Resolution No. 19-20-25, finding that "the danger of forest and grass fires has decreased throughout the unincorporated areas of Montezuma County due to recent precipitation in the area, lower temperatures, and increased relative humidity." The resolution lifts the ban effective 9 a.m. on Sept. 24, 2025. The board voted in favor of the resolution during the meeting (voice vote recorded as "Aye").

The board heard two abatement petitions and denied both. In the first, a petitioner identified in the record as Miss Cavalier asked the board to retroactively treat a 2024 assessment as if a prior "purge" of classification had not occurred; the petitioner said she paid $1,313.87 and sought a refund to reflect the unpurged classification. County staff (Assessor Bugg) explained that the assessor had granted a purge for financing purposes and later processed paperwork to unpurge the property; the assessor estimated that, under the unpurged classification, 2024 taxes would total $1,166.47, a reduction of $220.61 from the amount the petitioner said she paid. After discussion about timelines and the effect of a recent increase in taxes in the Dolores school district, the board moved and seconded to deny the Cavalier abatement…