If you are a property owner in La Plata County, you likely received your 2023 property notice of valuation from the county in the mail recently.
I would encourage everyone to take a good look at how the county has raised your property values for the current year. There is an option to protest by mail or online. My property valuation increased 27.6% in a single year. Considering our current economic situation, including inflation and interest rates, it is a ridiculous increase, making surviving here even harder than it was already.
I was definitely not the exception as I have checked with other property owners and their property values saw a similar outrageous increase. Much like our federal government, the state’s inability to operate within a reasonable budget has led it to do whatever it feels is necessary to generate the tax revenue (but don’t necessarily need) to fulfill bloated budget needs.
I personally do not want to see the Durango area become the next Telluride or Aspen, where average middle-class working families are forced out and replaced by wealthy out-of-state folks. Make your voice heard and let the county know that 25% annual increases in property values and corresponding taxes are not acceptable. We joke that Durango is the prettiest place you'll ever starve to death but that joke is looking more like reality in 2023.
Rick M. Gardner
Bayfield
