To: Board of County Commissioners
Through: John Christofferson, Acting County Attorney
Prepared By:
prepared
Karen Thompsen, Senior Paralegal, County Attorney’s Office
end
Subject:
title
Approval of arbitrators for 2026 property tax protests
end
Purpose and Request:
recommended action
The purpose of this request is to obtain approval for a resolution appointing arbitrators for the 2026 property tax appeals, as required by statute.
end
Alignment with Strategic Plan: Good Governance - Deliver mandated and essential services with excellence.
Background and Discussion: Pursuant to C.R.S. § 39-8-108.5, County Boards of Equalization are required to develop a list of people qualified to act as arbitrators of property tax valuation disputes to give taxpayers an alternative to pursuing appeals of CBOE decisions through the Board of Assessment Appeals or district court. The arbitrators must be experienced in property taxation and licensed real estate appraisers.
The following individuals are licensed appraisers, experienced in property taxation, and have expressed an interest in serving as arbitrators for the Arapahoe CBOE for 2026 valuation disputes:
Michael R. Nash, MAI
Bonnie Roerig, MAI
Vicki Wimberly, Certified General Appraiser
Casey DeBell, Certified General Appraiser
Jennifer Wentworth, Certified General Appraiser
Karen Hart, Certified General Appraiser
Alternatives: None.
Fiscal Impact: Arapahoe’s CBOE pays the arbitrators $150/hour for residential property disputes and $200-$250/hour for commercial and other property disputes. For protests of residential properties whose owners elect arbitration, the cost for arbitration is limited to $150 by statute. For commercial and other properties, the cost is based upon the arbitrator’s time spent hearing and deciding the case. The arbitrator determines which party pays the cost of the arbitrator’s fees on a case-by-case basis, and the County is sometimes, though infrequently, required to pay the entirety of the fees. We do not anticipate the total fiscal impact to be more than $1,000-$2,000.
Alignment with Strategic Implementation Strategies: N/A
Concurrence: N/A