Bill Tracker

Wildfire Matters Review Committee. The bill specifies that if agricultural land is destroyed by a natural cause on or after January 1, 2012, so that, were it not for such destruction, the land would have qualified as agricultural land for the following property tax year, the agricultural land classification is to remain in place for the year of destruction and the 4 subsequent property tax years unless:
• The land is not rehabilitated for agricultural use before the end of the period;
• The assessor determines that the classification at the time of destruction by a natural cause was erroneous; or
• A change of use, other than the destruction by a natural cause, has occurred.

The bill makes an exception to the 5-year rehabilitation period applicable to other agricultural land if the land is defined as agricultural land because it is used to produce tangible wood products, but only if such land is in compliance with an approved forest management plan and is on the list provided by the Colorado state forest service as having such a plan.

DPT bill clarifying assessors' ability to change ag designation for entire parcel.  Land Title questioned whether the bill would allow assessors to remedy erroneous valuations back to January 1, 2012.  It was determined that the assessor only goes back to January 1st of the year in which the erroneous valuation was discovered.

Amendment in Ag to change references to "land" to "productivity of the land"

Currently, a board of county commissioners is required, with certain exceptions, to publish an expenditure report each month and a financial statement twice a year. The reports and statements are required to be published in at least one newspaper in the county. The bill specifies that salary warrants are to be included in the information to be disclosed in the expenditure report. The bill allows the board to publish the expenditure report and the financial statement on a web site maintained by the county rather than publish them in a legal newspaper.

Calendared.  Position?

Worked with Rep. Carver to narrow scope of bill to ensure that privacy did not extend to real property records. 

Assessor concern that it will apply to abatements, CBOE and other appeals.  Commissioners (who post this information) do not have a position on the bill.  Told Carver that we might have a problem with the bill and she said she is open to amendments.  

False sense of security because of the multiple ways to go around the bill for the same information

Increases commissioners on the Urban Renewal Authority from 11 to 13.  Requires monies remaining in a fund that originated as property tax increment be repaid to any taxing body based on the pro-rata share of the total mill levy attributable to each taxing entity's mill levy in the last year in which the properaty taxes were divided.  Allows a commiersoner of the authority to be appointed by the BOCC where the governing body of the municipality is the authority. 

Cities' bill.  CCI opposed. One no vote out of committee.

For 5 income tax years beginning in 2015, there is an income tax credit to reimburse a qualifying taxpayer for personal property taxes paid in Colorado for which the taxpayer does not already receive a state or federal income tax benefit. To qualify for the credit, a taxpayer must have$15,000 or less worth of personal property on which property taxes are paid in Colorado during an income tax year commencing in 2015, or have less than an inflation-adjusted amount for each income tax year thereafter (property cap).  The bill increases the property cap for 2015 from $15,000 to  $25,000, and the property cap for the next 4 income tax years will grow by inflation from this amount.

Worked with proponents to limit the scope to one Colorado residence and only one condo storage unit at the residential rate; yearly affidavits for each eligible unit; prohibit retroactive changes of classification and abatements when criteria not met