The Basalt Town Council took the final step Tuesday night to authorize voluntary refunds for property tax overcharges over the prior four years.<\/p>\n
The council voted 5-0 to authorize issuance of certificates of participation to raise nearly $2 million in refunds.<\/p>\n
The check will be in the mail this fall for current property owners.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat we\u2019re looking for is October for issuing those checks,\u201d Town Manager Ryan Mahoney said.<\/p>\n
The town will hire a consultant to identify the property owners and determine how much they are owed, using records from Pitkin and Eagle counties. The refund will be an estimated $990 for a house with an actual value of $1 million and $3,990 for commercial property valued at $1 million.<\/p>\n
It would be too costly to try to identify former property owners, so only current owners will get the checks, according to town attorney Jeff Conklin. He said case law is on Basalt\u2019s side on the issue.<\/p>\n
Mayor Jacque Whitsitt and council members Katie Schwoerer, Ryan Slack, Gary Tennenbaum and Jennifer Riffle approved the refunds with little discussion. Councilmen Auden Schendler and Bill Infante were not at the meeting. The council had hashed out the issue in previous meetings<\/a>.<\/p>\n