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How Rising Home Values May Snuff Out Small Town Fire Depts

November 28, 2017

As houses along the Front Range sore in value, setting off statewide property tax cuts, it’s the folks who live in the rural areas that are feeling the pinch. The rising home values are bringing urban homeowners some much needed economic relief in the form of $450 million property tax cuts in 2018. With a general decrease in property taxes in the smaller, rural communities, it’s forcing small rural government agencies to tighten their belts.

“We’re trying to sit on as much as we can,” said Grand County Fire Chief Ron Thompson, but if revenues don’t start to grow, the reserves will eventually run out.1

How Rising Housing Prices Ultimately Hurt Rural Areas

How Rising Home Values May Snuff Out Small Town Fire Depts | Denver Property Tax Appeal Attorney

How Rising Home Values May Snuff Out Small Town Fire Depts | Denver Property Tax Appeal Attorney

Economic forces are already struggling factors in rural Colorado, for instance:

  • People earn lower wages in rural areas, especially if they work for rural government agencies.
  • Turnover at rural government agencies is high.
  • Volunteerisms for services like rural fire departments is down.
  • Equipment and operations costs are up for emergency services.
  • Rural cities tend to invest in younger workers, like firefighters, who tend to leave for higher-paying jobs in the bigger cities.
  • Unfortunately, rural areas don’t recover as fast as urban areas after recessions either.
  • Rural cities in Colorado can least afford to see their tax surplus or revenue shrink.
  • The worst scenario being watched is if the housing boom continues to the point that the property tax assessment rate goes down even further, which could burst the bubble, causing home values and tax revenues to tank.

How to Appeal Your Property Taxes

Typically, when home prices shrink, homeowners should hope for lowered property taxes. But, there’s times when you may still feel as though you are paying too much for property tax. If so, here a list of steps to take:

  • Find a reputable and trustworthy Denver property tax appeal attorney to help you appeal your home’s property value assessment.
  • A knowledgeable Denver property tax appeal attorney can help individuals navigate the complex network of legal processes and steps to take.
  • A professional property tax attorney can assist you in filling out legal forms and gathering the necessary paperwork for the local tax assessor.
  • Even your appeal gets denied, a property tax attorney has the ability to help you appeal the process further by requesting an in-person hearing.

Contact a Denver Property Tax Appeal Attorney Lawyer at Downey & Associates, PC

If you feel your home has been erroneously assessed in value and you’d like to appeal your county’s property valuation assessment, contact the Denver Property Tax Appeal Attorney at Downey & Associates, PC. Our team has more than 30 years of experience in property tax law. In the event, you missed the deadline for filing a protest, you may still be able to file abatement. Call us today at 303-813-1111, or fill out the contact form on this page.

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1“As the Front Range Grows, Rural Colorado Gets Less: How Rising Home Values in Denver are Crippling Small Fire Departments” published in the Denver Post, Nov. 2017.

Categories: Property Tax Appeal, Property Value Assessment