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Tuesday, November 03, 2009
Most Property Tax Bills Higher
By Dan McKay
Journal Staff Writer
Bernalillo County Treasurer Patrick Padilla is mailing out roughly 250,000 property-tax bills this week, and most residents will find them a bit heftier than last year.
The bills are bigger, with increases of around 3 percent for many residents, because of rising property values and tax-rate adjustments. The values used for tax purposes are still climbing, despite the bad economy, because they reflect data collected before 2008's drop in real-estate prices.
Residents who bought a house in 2008 — and subsequently saw a sharp increase in how much the home is valued for tax purposes, a phenomenon known as "tax lightning" — may be able to recover some money if they sue the county after paying the bill, officials have said. That's because tax lightning has been ruled unconstitutional.
Regardless, property owners who don't get a bill by Saturday should call the treasurer's office at 468-7031. The county collects taxes on behalf of other local government agencies.
Commercial property owners will generally see higher increases than residents, possibly around 7 percent, Padilla said.
Exact tax bills depend on what taxing districts the property is in.
The first half of the bill is due Nov. 10 but doesn't become delinquent until Dec. 11.
You can pay:
n In person at the treasurer's office, One Civic Plaza NW, lower level.
n In person at some banks and credit unions, which are listed at www.bernco.gov/treasurer.
n By mail to Bernalillo County Treasurer, P.O. Box 269, Albuquerque, NM, 87103-0627.
n By putting payment in certain drop boxes throughout the county, listed at www.bernco.gov/treasurer.
n Online at www.bernco.gov/treasurer.
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