Boulder County Offers $3500 Use Tax Rebate for Residents Rebuilding After Marshall and Cal-Wood Fires
Commissioners Approve $3.85M to Assist with Individual Rebuilding Efforts
Boulder County, Colo. -- The Boulder County Board of County Commissioners has today (September 13) unanimously agreed to offer up to $3500 in use tax rebates for Boulder County residents rebuilding homes on their properties affected by either the Marshall Fire or the Cal-Wood Fire. At the request of the Commissioners, the county’s Office of Financial Management presented the Federal Disaster Use Tax Rebate Program proposal at the Commissioner’s Weekly Business Meeting.
The Commissioners and county staff continue to speak with and meet weekly with fire survivors, and the program was brought forward to provide financial support, as well as clarity for these community members as they make plans to rebuild.
The rebate program forms just one part of the support that the county continues to offer residents as the community recovers and rebuilds, including the more than $40 million that the county has expended or administered to date in support of residents impacted by the Marshall Fire. This includes coordination of the Private Property Debris Removal Program, which has now cleared all participating properties, as well as the Recovery Navigators Program, which offers ongoing support to fire survivors.
Federal Disaster Use Tax Rebate Program
Everyone who lost a home in either the Marshall or Cal-Wood Fires and is rebuilding on their affected property qualifies for the county’s use tax rebate. The county estimates that the rebate will cover all or most of the county’s use tax for the majority of affected residents. To claim the rebate, property owners must file building permits within three years of the fires (by December 31, 2024 for Marshall Fire-impacted properties, and October 31, 2023 for Cal-Wood Fire-impacted properties.)
Use tax is charged for construction and tallied and paid when the building permit is issued. It is based on the projected valuation of the project as submitted by the builder.
Fiscal stewardship, equity and precedent considerations, simplicity of rebate application, rebate amount, program length, and administrative implications are among the factors that were taken into consideration during program design.
Due to the structure of the county’s finances and bonds that have been issued, the use tax cannot be waived by the county, which means the rebate will be funded through an estimated $3.85 million from the county’s general fund revenues.
The program applies only to the county’s use tax on residential properties. The county is aware that both the City of Louisville and the Town of Superior have or may determine to offer their own use tax relief to impacted property owners in those communities.
More information about the Federal Disaster Use Tax Rebate Program, including how to apply, will be available soon on the county’s Community Planning and Permitting Website.
|
