Each week, we talk with our colleagues at The Colorado Sun about the stories they're following. This time, Editor Lance Benzel joined us to talk about the big rise in property valuation appeals all over the state and a group of hikers not letting hypoxia keep them away from the mountains.
Property owners in Colorado filed at least 308,000 protests in Colorado this year. That's about triple the average number of protests from the last three assessment cycles. Eagle County had the largest in the state with 7,009.
"But this is not just a ski country phenomenon'" Benzel told KUNC. "It really is statewide. We saw huge increases in Gilpin County, where the number of appeals is up 824%. El Paso County is up 732%."
The COVID-19 pandemic has played a large role in how this happened.
" If you recall, during the shutdown, we saw thousands of new buyers from out of state come into Colorado," Benzel said. "They spent big to buy properties in mountain towns and escape cities and other dense, urban areas."
That led to a doubling of real estate prices in mountain communities. The rise in property values is leading to a huge spike in property tax bills. Many property owners across the state could see tax increases of up to 40%.
On a lighter note, The Colorado Sun also has a feature story on a group of hikers you might not expect to find in Colorado.
"Doctors often tell people with hypoxia - or low body oxygen - to leave the state. That's because of our elevation - Denver, of course, is famously one mile high. There's 20% less oxygen than at sea level. And that creates all kinds of health risks for for people with hypoxia."
There's a group in Colorado calling themselves the Hypoxic Hikers. They're ignoring doctors' advice and hiking the summits with the help of portable oxygen tanks.
"They say that the state's mountain vistas are just too good to pass up," Benzel said. "In fact, we talked to one hiker with hypoxia who is working with the gear maker Ashbury to develop a backpacking pack that can accommodate an O2 tank."
