With no public comments Monday, the Garfield County Commissioners (BOCC) jumped right into a meeting that lasted less than two hours. County Assessor Jim Yellico and Deputy Assessor Juby Cumming presented the 2024 annual recap of the results of the property tax appeal process and what valuations look like.
Yellico told the BOCC that his office handled 536 real property protests in 2024, down 74% from more than 1,900 protests the previous year. According to Yellico, the office denied 260 of the protests and adjusted 276. “The total assessed value was adjusted to a net decrease of $48,255,150,” he explained. The total assessed valuation for the county is $2,362,882,170. The assessed value of real property is approximately $1,686,428,070. As of July 14, the assessed value for oil and gas is $824,837,090, a 38% decrease from last year.
The BOCC also approved a request for promotions for two motor vehicle supervisor positions. County treasurer and public trustee Carrie Couey presented her Second Quarter 2025 report, stating that the county is up to 29 foreclosures. “We had almost none in 2020, 2021,” she explained.
Commissioners unanimously approved Couey’s suggestion to establish a third party, monthly property tax escrow service for those who want to pay property tax by installments. She said that El Paso County was the first to give it a shot. “Each county opts in on their own,” she explained. “They base the installments on the current year’s taxes on an average.” Couey added that it does not affect taxing authorities. “The fire departments get their payments on time ahead of fire season,” she said. “The school districts get their payments on time with the school calendar.”
According to a press release issued Tuesday, the county will offer the option to property owners through a third-party escrow service. The payment amount is calculated when someone signs up for the service. More information can be found on the county website.
The BOCC appointed Adam Ford and Diana Lawrence to the Grand Valley Cemetery Board. Neither candidate was present during the meeting but had submitted letters of intent. Commission Chair Tom Jankovsky and Commissioner Perry Will praised both candidates.
County Landfill Manager Deb Fiscus’ semi-annual update showed that the landfill’s budget looks good for the first six months of 2025 with $610,000 in expenditures and close to $1,483,000 in revenue. Septic revenues are over $235,000 so far this year. E-waste revenues are at $16,795 for the first half of the year. The landfill has collected more than 3,300 tires so far this year with revenues at just over $19,000. Metal recycling revenues jumped from $55,000 in 2023 to just over $73,000 last year. This year, it looks like more trash and more customers so far than all of 2024.
Fiscus added that the landfill will not offer the annual paint collection event this year and recommended Sherwin-Williams or Ace Hardware for that service.
Deputy County Manager Bentley Henderson chimed in about forthcoming hearings on state Air Quality Control Commission Regulation 31, concerning methane emissions from municipal solid waste landfills. He said that Garfield County’s party status allowed the county to provide comments in May. Commissioner Will plans to make a pre-hearing statement this week.
Henderson pointed to Green Latinos, an advocacy group in Denver, as an example of non-governmental organizations that support regulating emissions. Waste haulers and others, including a 15-county coalition, represent a different side. The counties include Garfield and others from the Western Slope, two from the Eastern Plains, Summit County and some from southwestern Colorado.
The rule would lower the threshold for methane emissions that triggers the need for gas collection and control systems, mandate methane monitoring and phase out open flaring. Primary concerns are potential infrastructure costs for gas collection devices and an increase in tipping fees.
According to the Colorado Greenhouse Gas Pollution Reduction Roadmap 2.0, landfills created 1.1% of methane emissions in the state in 2020. Energy created the lion’s share at 83.6 %. Agriculture emitted 11.4% and 3.3% came from industrial processes.