Commissioners approve assessor’s update

The Gunnison County commissioners heard an update at the County Board of Equalization (CBOE) section of their regular meeting on Sept. 1 from County Assessor Alexandra Cohen. 

Cohen started with the report for the Real and Personal Property 2026 appeal period. The number of new property appeals was down, as new evaluations are not sent out in even years. She stated that there were 130 real property appeals, approximately half of which were adjusted, half of which were denied. There were 10 personal property appeals, three of which were adjusted. Commissioner Jonathan Houck asked for clarification on the penalty for failing to report property. Deputy Assessor Vicki Hildreth explained that failure to file a mandatory personal property report results in a $50 fine or 15% of the taxes due.

Cohen moved on to give the approximate assessed value for Gunnison County in 2026. Approximately $1.15 billion of the total assessed value is attributed to real property local government assessed value. This year’s assessed value is approximately $12.68 million more than the September 2025 assessment. The approximate personal property local government assessed value sits at just over $60 million, just over a million more than last year. The total approximate local government assessed value is $1.2 billion.

“The assessed value for the county has increased tremendously over the past several years,” said Commissioner Liz Smith. “The budget caps are capped, so the amount that is being collected does not increase at the same rate as the assessed value. I know it can be a shock to see that large assessed value, but the taxation rate is not being applied in the same manner.”

Chairperson Commissioner Laura Puckett-Daniels called for a motion. Smith moved to accept the assessor’s report to the CBOE regarding the 2026 assessed evaluations. Houck seconded the motion. Puckett-Daniels called for a vote, which was unanimous.