Larimer County treasurer introduces voluntary monthly property‑tax prepayment option

Larimer County Treasurer and Public Trustee Irene Josie told the Board of County Commissioners on July 29 that the county is now offering a voluntary monthly property‑tax prepayment program through a private vendor at escrowtaxes.com, which allows homeowners and commercial property owners to make smaller, recurring payments instead of one or two lump sums.

Josie said the service creates an escrow account managed by the vendor and transmits tax payments to the county by the statutory due dates. "There is a link on our website to take people to the escrowtaxes.com website so they can sign up," Josie said during her presentation. She said the vendor’s legal compliance had been reviewed by outside counsel and that the service requires no development or maintenance cost to Larimer County.

County officials said the program is meant to help taxpayers smooth cash flow and budgeting. Josie described the enrollment process and key terms: property owners without escrowed mortgages must have accounts current and no tax liens to enroll; payments can be set up via eCheck (a $1 fee per eCheck), ACH debit, credit or debit card (about a 2.5% fee for card payments), or supported digital wallets; and the vendor will ‘‘true up’’ monthly payments after the assessor certifies the tax roll. "E checks are a dollar a transaction. Credit cards and debit cards are 2.5%." Josie said.

Josie said the vendor will estimate payments based on the prior year’s tax amount and that the county has asked the vendor to add 4% to the estimate this year to anticipate changes before the certified roll arrives. If the certified tax differs, the vendor will adjust the remaining monthly payments and notify the taxpayer; taxpayers may choose a refund or apply remaining balances toward next year’s taxes. Josie said escrowtaxes will deliver the full payment to the county on statutory due dates, so the program should not alter county cash flows. "It shouldn't at all. It should be seamless. Escrow taxes holds the funds securely, insured, and submits to us in our deadlines," Commissioner Cavallos asked; Josie replied that the vendor transmits on the February 28 and June 15 deadlines.

Josie also advised taxpayers to evaluate how recurring payments affect their overall finances and noted that larger legislative proposals for more installments had been considered at the state level but imposed significant implementation costs for counties. She said earlier proposals to require additional installment schedules would have required rewriting Title 39 of the Colorado Revised Statutes and major system changes for county treasurer offices statewide. The program launched as a vendor‑run alternative after those legislative discussions.

The treasurer’s office and commissioners encouraged residents and businesses to review the county FAQ at larimer.gov/treasurer and to contact the vendor’s help line for setup questions. The board did not take any formal action during the presentation.

Ending: The vendor‑run prepayment option is voluntary; the county emphasized it carries no direct cost to Larimer County but does pass transaction fees to participants. The treasurer’s office said the program is live and available via the treasurer web page and that taxpayers who enroll earlier should see smaller monthly payments than those who wait until the calendar year end.