County News

By Roger Baker
County Manager

1/19/2006 - I wrote last week about how the budget and assessment processes work together here in Gilpin County.

  Basically, we figure out how much money we’re going to get from various sources (mostly gaming, in our case). Then the Commissioners decide, by prioritizing among the requests from the various County departments, what services are really necessary for the upcoming year, and we estimate how much it will cost to provide those services.

  Once the Assessor has made a determination of how much all the property in the County is worth, we can then—subject to a whole host of statutory and constitutional limitations—impose enough of a levy (a tax) on those properties to generate enough income to balance our expected expenditures.

  That’s called property tax, and for most counties it’s the main source of revenue; because of gaming, it’s only about ¼ of ours. But it’s still a big deal for most people, and I’m sure nobody really looks forward to getting their tax notices every year.

  Nonetheless, it’s that time again, and tax notices will be going out to all Gilpin property owners next week. A lot of people don’t get them directly; their mortgage companies get (and hopefully pay) the tax notices. And there have always been options of paying the amount in full, or by halves, all of which have different due dates.

  But this year, for the first time, taxpayers will have a couple of new options. We’ve instituted a property tax work-off program for seniors and our disabled residents. Details on this will be available in the County newsletter, which should also be coming out next week. Obviously, not everyone can take advantage of this program, but for those who are eligible, it can provide some real tax relief.

  And for everyone with a computer (and an Internet connection), there will now be the option of paying their taxes online. Treasurer Alynn Huffman has worked with a private vendor to offer that service to those folks who, for whatever reason, want to pay their taxes by credit card, or even by something called an e-check.

  As with most online services, there’s an extra cost involved—for those using a credit card it will be an extra 2.87%—so taxpayers will have to weigh the costs versus the convenience. Other counties who have gone to this method have reported huge success, with more than 1/3 of taxpayers utilizing the service by the second year of operation!

  Gilpin County has begun to offer more and more information online, but this is one of the first instances where we have an interactive link that will allow residents to actually transact business by computer.

  I’m sure it won’t be the last; within a few years I would expect that things like building permits, class registrations for the Community Center, maybe even motor vehicle registrations (but that’s a state program, so maybe not) can be processed and paid for from the comfort of home.

  Of course, Internet transactions always have security concerns; there are some even with this new system for property tax payments, and your tax notice will explain how you can protect yourself whether you do or do not take advantage of the service. But it’s certainly the wave of the future, and it should help all our offices continue to provide better and more efficient assistance to all our citizens.