Property tax collections down $42 million

Garfield County property tax notices in the mail

PRESS RELEASE
January 31, 2017

GARFIELD COUNTY, CO – Property tax collections will be down by more than $42 million this year, due to a 35 percent decrease in total assessed valuation from 2016. The county’s abstract of assessment shows that more than $120 million in taxes were certified to be collected this cycle, which is down from $162 million in 2016.

The decrease is attributed to a decline in oil and gas production in the area. Oil and gas operations account for nearly 54 percent of assessed values in Garfield County. Countywide, the assessed value of oil and gas operations and assets is down by more than 50 percent, while residential, agricultural, commercial, and public utilities have increased slightly.

In 2016, nearly 45 percent of property tax distribution went to K-12 schools, 25 percent to Garfield County, nearly 11 percent to special districts, nine percent to fire districts, more than six percent to Colorado Mountain College, nearly three percent to towns, and one percent to water and sanitation.

Garfield County mailed roughly 30,000 tax notices to property owners last week. Property taxes can be paid in halves, or all at one time. The deadlines for half payments are Feb. 28, 2017, and June 15, 2017. The deadline for a full payment is April 30, 2017.

If your property tax payments are being made by mortgage companies, homeowners should call prior to the due dates to verify the payment has been made. Property taxes are due each year, whether taxpayers personally receive a tax notice or not. If a tax notice does not arrive in the next two weeks, please contact the treasurer’s office.

Property owners can make payments online at garfield-county.com/treasurer through a secure payment portal with the Garfield County Treasurer’s Office. Search for a property by owner name, location, or account number, and click on the payment amount to open online payment portal.

Property owners may also pay in person at the treasurer’s office: 109 8th Street, Suite 204, Glenwood Springs (Garfield County Courthouse), or via the payment drop box located inside the entrance to the courthouse, which does not require going through courthouse security. To pay by mail, please send to: P.O. Box 1069, Glenwood Springs, CO 81602. There is no longer an office in Rifle where property tax payments can be made.

Senior citizens with questions regarding the state-funded tax deferral program should contact the treasurer’s office to complete this process. For questions regarding the Senior Exemption or Homestead Exemption program, senior citizens should contact the assessor’s office.

For questions about property tax payments, or the tax payment process, please call the treasurer’s office at 970-945-6382; or for valuation and assessment questions, call the assessor’s office at 970-945-9134.