Montezuma County assessor reports higher preliminary property values; CBOE hearings set for Aug. 5

Leslie, the county assessor, told the Montezuma County Board of County Commissioners at a workshop that preliminary total assessed values stand at $700,380,000 and that state-assessed values are not final until an Aug. 25 certification. She said the assessor’s office expects an increase in assessed value over last year and that, using the county’s current 2024 general levy, the increase could raise additional revenue (transcript figures were partly garbled when read aloud).

The assessor said she had received a 10-year comparison from GIS staff showing the office was missing only about 60 buildings from the tax roll, and that a new parcel/imagery software vendor has completed a flyover and is scheduled to begin installing updated imagery and tools in county systems in August. She asked the board to note the County Board of Equalization (CBOE) hearings scheduled for Aug. 5; commercial appeals will be heard first with an appraiser phoning in, and residential and vacant-land appeals will follow.

Commissioners raised scheduling conflicts for the Aug. 5 CBOE session and discussed whether the date could be changed; the assessor said letters to appellants had already been mailed and that it may be too late to reschedule. The assessor also said she is monitoring emails from the software vendor and expects on-site installation in August.

The discussion was informational; there was no recorded vote. The assessor and GIS staff said they will continue to reconcile the database and share updates with commissioners ahead of the certification deadline.

A follow-up item the board may consider before certification is whether to adjust hearing logistics to accommodate commissioners’ schedules.