Valencia County residents are still grappling with incorrect property tax bills, which has led to a wave of frustration and confusion, despite the county’s attempts to rectify previous errors. Albert Chavez, a Los Lunas homeowner for over 20 years, found himself taken aback by a sudden and inaccurate increase in his property taxes last November. “I really don’t think taxpayers should have to deal with this. I’ve worked hard to pay off my house, and I didn’t expect to be penalized for their mistakes,” he commented.
Celia Dittmeyer, the Valencia County Assessor, clarified that her role is to determine the taxable value of properties, while the county treasurer is responsible for sending out tax bills. Dittmeyer uncovered a $2 billion spike in one of the taxing districts—an error that somehow reached the state and ended up on residents’ tax statements. “I honestly don’t understand how that 2 billion made its way to the Treasury,” she added.
After noticing this mistake, the county issued corrected bills, but these revisions had their own issues, including duplicate items that made residents feel they were being charged twice. Dittmeyer noted, “It could have been an issue from my system to his system or from his system to the printer. I recognize there are some serious flaws on the back end of my system. I’ve been requesting a new system for three years now.”
At a recent County Commission meeting, many residents voiced their frustrations about the amended bills, with one remarking, “The new bill has more errors than the original one that started this whole mess.”
Valencia County Treasurer Ron Saiz, who oversees the distribution of these bills, opted not to give a direct interview but referred to a news release instead. The release mentioned that the county is seeking clearer guidelines from property tax officials on how these bills are calculated and presented to the taxpayers.
Residents who reach out to the Treasurer’s Office hear a recorded message saying, “Thank you for calling the Valencia County Treasurer’s Office. If your call pertains to the 2025 tax issue, we will address it and send you a new bill with the revised due date in the coming weeks. Thank you for your understanding.”
Like Mr. Chavez, a number of residents prefer to visit the Treasurer’s Office in person for help. The county recommends that anyone with questions about their tax liability seek assistance directly at the Treasurer’s Office.
