Fountain Valley News - Your Hometown Community Newspaper

Good day, I hope all are enjoying the start of the spring season. This week I've got two educational opportunities for residents to learn about the County Assessor's reappraisal process and a housing assistance webinar.

El Paso County Assessor Steve Schleiker will host a series of virtual community town halls during the month of April to help the public better understand how property values are assessed locally, and why 2021 is such an important year for property owners in El Paso County. Assessor Schleiker will discuss the current El Paso County Real Property Market and the impacts residents will see during the upcoming 2021 property reappraisal. He will answer frequently asked questions such as:

Why do we have property assessments?

How and when is property assessed?

How are property taxes calculated?

Why did property value go up when no new improvements were made to a property?

Why the value changes?

Will property taxes go up?

How can someone appeal their property value?

On Tuesday, April 20, from 6-7:30 p.m., Assessor Schleiker will host a virtual town hall for Commissioner District 4 residents (Southern and Eastern El Paso County, including the towns of Fountain, Security/Widefield, Hanover, Ellicott, Rush, Yoder and the south-southeast areas of Colorado Springs as well as the unincorporated area of Stratmoor Hills). You will be able to link to the April 20 Town Hall by going to http://bit.ly/AssessorTownHallApril20. On the day of each Town Hall, residents can use the link to join the meeting via Microsoft Teams. Participants may download Microsoft Teams or join the meeting via their web browser. We ask that those planning to attend familiarize themselves with the platform ahead of the meeting.

Also, there is an upcoming Rental and Housing Assistance and Resources Webinar for El Paso County Residents on April 9. El Paso County Economic Development is celebrating Fair Housing Month in April by offering a free webinar on rental and housing assistance resources for residents of El Paso County. Join the webinar on Friday, April 9, from 1-2 p.m. for a comprehensive discussion of currently available and upcoming assistance options including:

• Emergency rental and mortgage assistance through the state Emergency Housing Assistance Program (EHAP)

• Emergency rental/mortgage/utility assistance through local nonprofits in partnership with federal, local, and private resources

• Housing/supportive services targeted towards specific groups, such as seniors

Questions are welcomed during the webinar, but no legal advice can be given. To register for the event or ask questions, please contact Eric Leonard, Housing Analyst, at (719) 520-6481 or [email protected] Those who wish to participate by phone only may call into the meeting without registration by using the following call information: Phone Number: 719-283-1263, Phone Conference ID: 279 119 682#. For more information, please visit our Economic Development website at http://ow.ly/DTez50E2MWB.

God bless and have a wonderful week.