Assessor briefs Denver committee on HB 25 1289; Bellevue Station leases sent to full council

Councilmember Sarana Gonzalez Gutierrez, chair of the Denver City Council Finance & Business Committee, presided over a briefing on House Bill 25 1289 and four leases at Bellevue Station and later moved the matter to the full City Council for decision.

The committee heard the presentation from John Norloff of the assessor's office and Josh Bushner, the assessor's commercial manager, who summarized the changes created by the new law and how the city will implement them. "The bill increased required transparency and closes a property tax loophole," said Josh Bushner, explaining that when metropolitan-district board members own leased property, additional disclosures and a city review are required.

Under the process described by assessor staff, the assessor's office will submit a legally sufficient statement to city council within 14 days of receiving it; the council then has 63 days from receipt to issue a written decision, including findings about whether the leased property is used for a public purpose. The assessor's office said exemptions will also be reviewed annually and will end if the exempt use ends before the lease term.

The office described four leases related to Bellevue Station Metropolitan District No. 1: two parcels used for a dog park, paid parking and an open-air entertainment venue/beer garden; a set of parcels used for a nature trail; and two separate package leases for storage and parking of construction materials and equipment. Committee members asked whether parcels within a multi-parcel lease can be evaluated separately; the assessor's office said partial exemptions are possible and the assessor would reflect mixed uses in the exemption determination.

Councilmembers pressed staff on timing and triggers for review. Councilmember Sawyer asked whether council decisions apply for a lease term or are reconsidered annually; staff described the exemption as tied to the lease/use and said the assessor will monitor and re-review when leases are amended, renewed, or if uses change. Councilmember Alvarez asked what qualifies as a "public purpose;" assessor staff and counsel said the term is not clearly defined in statute and flagged legal issues for the committee's executive session.

The committee moved into executive session under Denver Revised Municipal Code 2-34(a)(3) and (6) to discuss the property-tax exemption for Bellevue Station Metropolitan District No. 1. The public transcript includes a prolonged block of unrelated audio while the committee was in executive session; the committee later reconvened and reported it had completed its confidential discussion.

After returning, the committee recorded that item 260243 is ready to move forward. Council pro tem Romarek Campbell moved and Councilman Daryl Watson seconded the motion to refer item 260243 to the full City Council; the chair said there was no need for a roll-call vote. The committee chair also confirmed four consent items will move forward to the full council and then adjourned the meeting.

Next steps: the full City Council will receive the assessor's filing and the related materials; under the timeline described in the briefing the council has 63 days from receipt to issue a written decision under the new law. The transcript does not include a formal roll-call vote tally on the referral; vote counts were not specified.