By Mary Alice Murphy
At this morning's, Sept. 8, 2026, Grant County Commission work session, County Assessor Misty Trujillo said that every county in the state is having an issue with the New Mexico Department of Finance."We, each year, send our property valuations to the Property Tax Division," Trujillo said. "This year they were sent in June. Property Tax Division will then send our values to the Department of Finance (DFA), then DFA will submit the final rates to the Assessor’s office. We do not set the rates; we set the valuations. The state sets the rates for counties, municipalities, school bonds and such."
This year, the DFA sent back the valuations and tax rates for the assessors to double-check. Trujillo made the comment: "I feel like they should pay us this year for doing their job."She apologized that she may not have the tax rates ready for Commission approval at the Thursday meeting but will try her best! Because of having to correct many errors that were provided to her.
Trujillo added that the DFA is putting all responsibility on the Assessors for correcting any errors that were submitted to them by municipalities and schools. Trujillo said. “This is backwards on how they operate.” It should start with the municipalities and schools, then they submit to DFA. Once they are both in agreement, then the final Tax rates should be submitted to all county Assessors within the state. Then the rates can be entered in correctly. DFA determines the rates, not the County Assessor.She emphasized that the assessor's office's only role is to get the county property valuations and send them to the Property Tax Division.
NM State statute requires Commission approval within five days of receipt of the tax rates document, which was received Aug. 31, 2026. The assessor’s office is scheduled this Thursday, September 10, 2026, for commissioners’ approval. Although DFA is unable to grant a formal extension to the statutory 5-day approval requirement, DFA understands it is more practical to adopt the rates at a regularly scheduled county commission meeting and are kindly requesting that the county send the department the documentation of Commission action no later than September 19, 2026.
[Editor's Note: Tune in to the Commission regular meeting on Sept. 10, to learn if the commissioners receive the tax rates to approve. I'm guessing they will. Trujillo, Deputy assessor Raul Turrieta and County Treasurer Patrick Cohn are working feverishly on them.]
