Board Credits Assessor's Office on Job Performance in 2018

Published on August 13, 2018

Last week, after it adjourned as the Board of Equalization for the fiscal year 2018, the Board of Commissioners praised the work ethic and professionalism of Weld County Assessor Chris Woodruff and his staff.

“Thank you to the assessor for the great job he does for our county and the taxpaying citizens,” Commissioner Julie Cozad said. “We’ve made comments that he’s one of the fairest assessors in the state of Colorado, and I agree with those comments. I want thank his staff for their professionalism and the great work they do for the county.”

The duty of the county assessor each year is to evaluate all property in the county for property tax purposes. Staff also responds to appeals concerning property tax valuations. Property owners who appeal property tax valuations can have their case decided upon by the Board of Equalization. In the fiscal year 2018, only three cases were brought before the board — a reflection of the successful ability of the assessor’s office to work fairly with the public and businesses throughout Weld County. Woodruff is in his third term as assessor, and 2018 will be his final year in that role.

Real property owners in Weld County have enjoyed a low tax rate for years as keeping the mill levy low has been a consistent priority of the Board of Commissioners. The Taxpayer Bill of Rights (TABOR) in the Colorado Constitution allows the county to impose property taxes of up to 22.038 mills. Weld County has remained well under that limit for more than two decades. The mill levy this year is 15.8 — 6.2 mills below the county limit —making the rate the lowest among front range counties Adams, Arapahoe, Boulder and Larimer. Additionally, the county charges no county sales tax.

“We’re proud of the efforts we’ve made to keep the mill levy low, which has enabled our residents and businesses to save money,” Weld County Chair Steve Moreno said. “The assessor’s office has done a great job in fairly assessing taxes for many years. We thank Chris and his staff for their hard work and wish Chris the best moving forward.”