Douglas County this week sued a state board in charge of evaluating property assessments, claiming officials overstepped their authority and wrongfully stopped the county from providing substantial tax relief to thousands of homeowners.
Last month’s board decision and the appeal to a judge to step in come amid a fierce statewide debate over how to blunt the impact of ballooning property tax bills across Colorado this year.
The affluent suburban county filed its lawsuit against the state Board of Equalization late Tuesday in Denver District Court, characterizing its unanimous decision to deny Douglas County’s proposed $4 billion reduction in residential home values as “arbitrary and capricious.” With reduced valuations, homeowners would have seen lower tax bills as various taxing entities’ mill levies, or tax rates, were applied.
The suit alleges that the state board singled out Douglas County for denial even as it approved other counties’ requests for even larger valuation reductions. The county also noted that its assessment adjustment had already received the blessing of state tax officials and a third-party auditor, only to be shot down by the equalization board.
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