(COLORADO SPRINGS) — During a town hall on Friday, Aug. 16, El Paso County leaders discussed issues affecting the area, focusing on taxes, a day after Governor Jared Polis held a special session on property taxes.
County Commissioner Stan VanderWerf said high demand for housing, rising home prices, and the resulting tax windfall for public agencies—since the tax rate is tied to home values—have created challenges for counties across Colorado.
VanderWerf said the effort to address the issue during last year’s special session was unsuccessful and believes the state legislature made mistakes. “What I can tell you is what we did in the county, is we unilaterally reduced property taxes by twenty percent for every single household in the entire county. It’s hard to get to an exact number that leaves you with about the same taxes as before because some houses went up more in value than others.”
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