Bart Schaneman The Johnstown Breeze
JOHNSTOWN – Town Council, at its meeting on February 21, approved a modest tax refund for property owners.
Mayor Pro Tem Damien Berg was not in attendance.
The town voted to approve a residential tax rebate to property owners as a refund for the 2023 tax year based on an adjustment to property values.
The town has allocated about $650,000 to be redistributed to property owners. Divided by the number of homeowners in town, that amount won’t be huge, according to Mayor Troy Mellon.
“It’s not going to be a windfall that sends the kid to college, but it’s an acknowledgement that we’re only taking the funds we need to run the government,” he said.
Residential property owners must pay their 2023 taxes on or before June 15 to be eligible for a property tax refund. Checks will be prepared using the property owner information provided by Weld and Larimer counties. Checks will not be sent to anyone not listed on the reports provided by the counties.
According to a press release from the town, “This local rebate, when combined with a state-legislated property tax reduction of $376,948, will provide over $1 million in tax relief to Johnstown’s residential property owners.”
Following the recent property value reassessments conducted by County Assessors in 2023, initial estimates indicated a $1.19 million increase in residential property taxes. In light of this, the Council devised a plan to provide a residential property tax rebate to homeowners and incorporated the provision into the 2024 Budget. The adoption of Resolution 2024-09 on February 21, 2024, finalizes the rebate plan.
“This initiative aims to directly assist homeowners burdened by rising property tax obligations,” according to the press release.
Rebate checks will be processed and mailed to residential property owners in late August or early September after the receipt of property tax revenues by the Town.
“This tax rebate will reduce the Town’s increase in residential property taxes from the original 35.64 percent to 5.06 percent,” according to the release.
For further information and additional resources, visit the Town of Johnstown’s official website at JohnstownCO.gov/property-tax-relief.
To read more about the February 21 meeting, check out next Thursday’s Breeze.
