Submitted by Kenneth and Kathleen DeHoff, Bad Coyote Farm
The recent defeat of the ACD and the engagement of Corralenos on the comprehensive plan update have shown that our community is adept at intelligently addressing issues that affect us all.
An issue that I believe many of us are aware of, but which is typically a private concern, is our ever-increasing property taxes. In 2025, the Assessor increased the valuation of all land east of Corrales Road by an eye-watering 42%. That’s an additional $1,400 per acre that all affected Corralenos will have to pony up in November. My wife and I have proven the method that equates every square foot of dirt as identical only because it is east of Corrales Road is unlawful, to both the Protest Board and to a District Court Judge. But the Assessor has done this again in 2025 in spite of our legal judgments against her.
For the rest of our neighbors, between Corrales Road and Loma Larga, your land valuation increased 15%, from 204k to 235k and for everyone west of Loma Larga, the new standard rate is 200k/acre. These values are applied to all non-residential properties, recently purchased or built residential properties and is used as the basis for the 3% annual increase long term owners are subjected to.
Our pleas to our local government have gone unheeded, so we want to make you all aware of the circumstances associated with your valuation increase in 2025 and encourage you all to consider protesting your valuation increase based on the Assessor’s unlawful use of uncomparable properties to establish your valuations. Your protest can be instrumental not only in helping yourselves but can also help us all in bringing an end to a patently unlawful valuation method. Remember that the deadline for filing a protest is May 1st, 30 days after the notices of valuation were sent out.
We have written a guide on how to protest at http://corraleslandrights.org/howto if you need any help filling out the form.