Douglas County commissioners unanimously certify 2024 mill levies

The Douglas County Board of County Commissioners on Friday adopted a resolution certifying the county's 2024 mill levies to the state, a required administrative step under Colorado law.

Budget Director Martha Marshall told the board the certification is necessary so the assessor's and treasurer's offices can prepare and mail property tax statements in January. "All taxing districts must first adopt and levy property taxes, just like the county did last week," Marshall said, explaining that taxing districts entered their mill levies into the county's application by the statutory deadline.

Marshall said the county's role is ministerial. "This is strictly an administrative, nondiscretionary role the county performs each year," she said, citing Colorado Revised Statutes 39-1-111. County counsel added that failing to certify could create both legal and financial consequences for local taxing authorities: "There is a material need to do this as well as a legal need to do this," the county attorney said.

Marshall told the board that 331 taxing districts submitted their mill-levy data by the Dec. 16 deadline and that the county replatformed its certification application to a Microsoft-based system this year. The updated application, she said, also added functionality to accept data required under House Bill 24-1302.

There was no public comment on the resolution. A commissioner moved to adopt the resolution levying 2024 property taxes; a second was recorded. The board voted aye and the chair declared the vote unanimous. The resolution passed.

The meeting lasted roughly 10 minutes and included presentations by budget staff and county counsel. With certification complete, the assessor's office will transfer certified levies to the treasurer's office for tax-statement production in January.