Board of County Commissioners Business Meeting - Regular Meeting

Good afternoon, everyone.

I'd like to call the August 4th, 2026 special business meeting of the Arapahoe County Board of Commissioners to order. In attendance today are Acting County Attorney John Christopherson and Cooney Saraceno, Administrator to the Board in the Clerk and Recorder's Office. Mr. Saraceno, will you please call the roll?

Commissioner Baker? Here. Commissioner Fields? Here. Commissioner Waldo?

Here. Present. Here. Thank you very, very much, Mr. Seracino. Are there any changes to the agenda as presented?

There are no changes today.

Wonderful. Then may I get a motion to adopt the agenda as presented, please? Madam Chair? Yes, Commissioner Campbell.

I move that we adopt the agenda as presented. Second.

It has been moved by Commissioner Campbell and properly seconded by Commissioner Fields to adopt the agenda as presented. All in favor say aye. Aye. Any opposed? The ayes have it and the motion is adopted. We have two items under general business today which are value corrections and referee recommendations for the Board of Equalization. We will hear a combined presentation on these items, but they will require separate motions. Our presenter and attorney of record is Benjamin Schwartzen-Druber, senior assistant county attorney. Mr. Schwartzen-Druber, would you please? You know your name. Mr. Schwartzen-Druber, you know your name. Yes, you do. Could you please set the foundation and provide the presentation, please?

Good afternoon, Commissioners. Good afternoon. These two items are both in your role as County Board of Equalization. The first is a resolution to correct a few parcels as part of the CBOE's duties under the statute is to review the assessment role and correct any errors when they come to the assessors. Attention, generally that happens through the protests. So this year we have two corrections we'd like to make. The first is two PIN numbers, parcel ID numbers. There used to be two different parcels in late 2024. There was a plat that was recorded combining them into one. the censor's office didn't catch that so this is a new apartment complex going in on powers in delaware i believe and so we need to for 2026 correct it they're already working on 2025 because it should have been that way since january 125. so the one um pin parcel will be deactivated that's a small parcel that is currently classified as commercial but it's got a value of like five hundred dollars and the other larger parcel so that value will be combined into the larger parcel there'll be one parcel the value combined will be the same it will all be the residential because they started construction on the apartment so that is the first correction the second correction is The taxpayer had filed a protest at the assessor level and intended to go on to the CBOE level, send in some information for the assessor to review, but failed to file the petition. So in the course of reviewing that information, they realized that a reduction needed to be made. So we're doing that through the correction resolution. If you have any questions, let me know. on those two items.

Any questions, commissioners? Looks like there are no questions. Okay. All right. But we do need public comment, it says here. Okay, yes.

But we can do, we have a... THE SECOND ITEM. AND THEN WE'LL OPEN THE PUBLIC COMMENT FOR BOTH.

OKAY.

AND THEN WE'LL DO THE INDIVIDUAL MOTIONS.

GOT IT.

OKAY.

SO THE SECOND ITEM IS THE REFEREE RECOMMENDATIONS. THE BOARD IN ITS ROLE REVIEWS THOSE RECOMMENDATIONS AND GENERALLY ADOPTS THEM AS FINAL DECISIONS OF THE COUNTY BOARD OF EQUALIZATION. WE SHOULD HAVE BEEN PRESENTED on the agenda with the 88-page report of all the appeals that were made to the CBOE. Looks like 2,341 hearings were had. A handful were granted, a couple were drawn, a lot of them denied, and I would say a large Maybe the majority of them are vacant land, residential parcels, big tract developments, and so oftentimes they just ask that those be denied so they can move them on and have additional time to look into them. According to the report, we're looking at a reduction in value of about $35 million actual value after the hearings. PRETTY SMALL REDUCTION COMPARED TO THE $3.6 BILLION IN VALUE WE HAVE. SO I'LL LET YOU ASK ANYTHING. OH, BEFORE I FORGET, WE NEED TO THANK THESE LADIES OVER HERE FOR THEIR HARD WORK. KAREN THOMPSON, GINA, KAREN, Lorraine Schaffer, who has been on the ground floor for a month or so, and ensuring everything goes smoothly, answering calls from people that are not happy, and doing a great job. Thank you. And then there's a couple folks in the assessor's office, a lot of folks in the assessor's office, but two in particular who help with any software glitches that come up, Scott Dobbins and Avery Tetley, who help them make sure everything is... As smooth as possible.

Excellent. Excellent. Commissioners, are there any questions? Yes, Mr. Baker.

Yeah, and you may not have the information, but if you could give a ballpark of how we compare to previous years as far as, you compared it to our overall value in the billions, but I'm just wondering what is this year's reduction generally in

showing a trend are we going up going down as far as i think it's pretty putting aside probably 2023 and 2024 which i think is in line with what we've done historically karen may know better but i haven't looked at the report percentage wise it looks to to be pretty steady where you have been historically yes yeah right that's good that's sufficient i don't need number wise too it looks Again, putting aside our record number, it looks to be basically in line with where we have been historically number-wise. Good. Thank you.

Commissioner Morvelli? Thank you, Madam Chair. So, did I hear you correctly? 2,300?

2341 according to the report okay wow that is a lot of work that's all every by the way every parcel they have to enter wow multiple times but in our current software system so

Wow.

We're hoping in a couple of years with the new system that might do some of it, might automate some of this.

So you mean like entry, parcel, lot, five? No, no.

Or like the pin numbers, like zero, three, five, five, nine, four, two, three, eight. Just all those numbers? Yeah, the pin numbers. Imagine having to get every one of them correct.

things at work so they look so well rested like a piece of cake Oh my goodness, that's a lot.

So for the re-evaluation, or for the intervening years, we do the quick normal procedure, but now by statute we have to do the extended one on re-evaluation years. Last year and next year, they will be down there for a few months. We're getting a better handle on that to do so. But again, this one went by, in my mind, went by really fast with that being the four weeks. And having to try to fit all those in, coordinate all the hearing officers that we have, make sure we have all the reports. Having it during COVID really helped that we do this remote. And so it makes it easier for some of the disgruntled folks. Property owners as well not being in the building because sometimes we would have to have our deputy come by just make sure things Stay calm, but now with it being remote. We don't we don't have that issue They still get the phone calls that like Ben said But it's it is a lot of work is a heavy lift in a short amount of time to be able to do this So I just want to echo What Ben said and throw a little more on that that was it's a lot and they do a great job with a short amount of time and a lot of hours to do that. And then in the re-eval year, again, they'll be down there longer, a longer amount of time still with even more numbers that are there. So just wanted to give them more of a shout out.

Wow, well thank you very much, Matt. Thank you. So is there any... Oh yeah, oh yeah. What did we, oh yeah.

It's all good, it's all good. Baker and I are working on our charades.

Okay, all right, good. Good to know, good to know. So at this time, do we have any public comment? There's no public comment.

I think it's extra credit for your AP government class if you give comment on that.

Oh yes, very good. Very good, very good. So, well, seeing as there is no public comment, I would like to ask if there's any commissioner discussion at this time, or if not, I will take a motion, and remember, we are voting on these separately. Madam Chair? Yes.

I just want to echo the kudos to the team. It's a lot, and I know especially with all the different changes and everything, and we're anticipating, and we don't have the software updated yet, and so thank you for doing a great job, and yeah, appreciate you all, and for you guys.

Oh, I thought you would read the motion, too. Commissioner Grayson?

I will be happy to make the motion. First word, sounds like. After sign language.

Yeah.

I move to adopt the resolution approving the correction of errors for tax year 2026 on parcels identified by the assessor's office pursuant to colorado revised statute section 39-8-102 parent 1 and to further the goal of ensuring that valuations for assessment of property are just and equalized within the county and adopt said recommendations as the final actions of the arapahoe county board of equalization second

Oh, yay. It has been moved by Commissioner Baker and properly seconded by Commissioner Campbell to approve the motion. All in favor say aye. Aye. Any opposed? The motion passes. The ayes have it. The motion is adopted. Thank you very, very much. And now I will entertain the next motion, please.

Madam Chair.

Commissioner Baker.

I move to adopt the resolution approving the 2026 Board of Equalization decisions as recommended by the appointed independent referees pursuant to Colorado Revised Statute Section 39-8-102-2-I and adopt said recommendations as the final actions of the Arapahoe County Board of Equalization.

Second. It has been moved by Commissioner Baker and properly seconded by Commissioner Campbell to approve the motion as presented. All in favor say aye. Aye. Any opposed? The ayes have it. The motion passes. Yay! And this is like a really good part too. Be there no other business before the board. We are adjourned and we'll move into our study session.