Jared Polis removed a Democrat he appointed to a state board that reviews local property tax decisions after the panel in December unanimously rejected Douglas County’s attempt to offer a $28 million tax break to homeowners.
The governor blasted the State Board of Equalization’s decision at the time, and then last week took former Colorado Secretary of State Bernie Buescher off the panel and replaced him with Richard Sokol, an Englewood Republican, who sits on the board for South Metro Fire Rescue.
Polis’ swap not only sends another message about his dislike for the State Board of Equalization’s ruling, but it also hands Republicans a 3-2 majority on the panel.
In a written statement, Shelby Wieman, a spokeswoman for the governor, said “Polis thanks Mr. Buescher for his service to Colorado and is grateful to Mr. Sokol for stepping into the role.”
Buescher, in an interview with The Colorado Sun, said Polis informed him that he was being taken off the committee in a recent phone call. He had served as the governor’s designee on the board for roughly two years.
“He did not give me what I would call a specific reason for kicking me off the commission,” Buescher said.
But Buescher said he was “sure” his vote to block Douglas County’s property tax relief plan had something to do with it.
Sokol told The Sun the governor mentioned his disappointment with the Douglas County decision when he called to offer him a spot on the board.
“He did not ask me how I would vote or say how he expected me to vote on any issue,” Sokol said. “There was nothing like that at all. The conversation was fairly short.”
Sokol, a former chair of the Arapahoe County GOP, said he’s known Polis since the governor was a member of Congress.
The Douglas County Commission voted in September to reduce the county’s valuations, determined in May, of single-family homes, townhomes and condominiums by 4%. Assessed property values must be within 5% of the properties’ market value to comply with state law.
Property valuations, which are done every two years in Colorado, are one of the key factors in determining how much a homeowner pays in property taxes. A lower property valuation means a lower property tax bill.
Douglas County’s commissioners were acting as the county’s board of equalization, which is supposed to correct errors in property valuations, when they made the reduction. The county’s assessor said housing market conditions were fluctuating in June 2022, when the valuations were dated. But the commissioners said they also acted in the name of tax relief after home values rose an average of 48% in 2022 for calculating tax bills in 2023 and 2024.
But when the State Board of Equalization reviewed the value reduction last month, the panel said the reduction was unwarranted and expressed anxiety about how approving the change could set a precedent followed in other parts of the state. They also worried the decision could be a drag on state finances by requiring that more money be routed to the county’s schools.
Polis said in a written statement to The Denver Post that he was “very disappointed” in the State Board of Equalization’s move.
“While Douglas County’s approach isn’t a long-term solution, it did provide relief this year,” the governor told the newspaper.
The county is now suing to try to overturn the ruling.
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Polis appointed two others on the five-person State Board of Equalization: former Adams County Commissioner Marty Flaum of Westminster and former Mesa County Assessor Barbara Brewer of Grand Junction. Both are Republicans who were appointed Sept. 3, 2021, for terms ending Sept. 2, 2025, and their appointments were confirmed by the Colorado Senate.
Wieman said the governor hasn’t considered replacing Flaum and Brewer, noting their set terms on the board.
Buescher, as Polis’ designee on the board, wasn’t confirmed by the Senate to his role. He was serving at the governor’s pleasure, with no set term. Sokol, as a result, is now serving on the board indefinitely — or for at most as long as Polis is governor.
The two other members of the board include state Sen. Chris Hansen, a Denver Democrat who is serving as the designee of Senate President Steve Fenberg, D-Boulder. House Speaker Julie McCluskie, D-Dillon, is the fifth member of the board after recently removing state Rep. Bob Marshall, D-Highlands Ranch, as her designee.
Buescher, a former state lawmaker who is recently retired from working as a lawyer in private practice, doesn’t seem all that miffed about being removed from the commission.
“I’ve got four other nonprofit boards that I’m on,” he said. “I’ve got plenty to do for an old retired guy.”
Buescher added that he thinks the State Board of Equalization acted within the bounds of the law and state constitution in blocking Douglas County’s property tax relief plan.
The State Board of Equalization is next scheduled to meet remotely on Friday. You can view its agenda here.