ASPEN — — Some owners of agricultural property in Pitkin County are disputing the higher value assigned to their properties under a state law that went into effect this year.
County commissioners on Wednesday voted to appoint hearing officers to take up appeals of property valuations assigned by the county Assessor’s Office. Most of the appeals so far have come from agricultural landowners, said Larry Fite, the office’s chief appraiser.
A bill the state Legislature passed last year instructed assessors across Colorado to value the 2 acres beneath the residence on agricultural parcels as residential property if the home isn’t integral to an agricultural operation. The houses themselves always were assigned market values, but the land beneath them no longer automatically receives an agricultural exemption. Without the exemption, the land is taxed at a higher rate, which has implications on the owners’ property tax bills.
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