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No. Of Delinquent Denver Property Taxpayers Rises

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Oct 3, 2009 5:56 pm US/Mountain

No. Of Delinquent Denver Property Taxpayers Rises

DENVER (CBS4) ― It could be another sign of these thorny economic times. The number of people in Denver who are late paying their property taxes is up about 25 percent.

The city says last year at this time about 4,300 people hadn't gotten around to paying their 2007 property taxes. This year they say there are about 5,300 people on the list who have not yet paid their 2008 taxes.

Art gallery owner Aaron Lapedis is one of the Denver property owners late paying his 2008 property taxes. He says it was no mistake.

"I put off a couple taxes, paying some of the taxes," Lapedis said.

Lapedis says he always paid property taxes on time, but the economic downturn cut his art gallery business by almost a third. So when it came time to pony up property taxes this year, he had to make some decisions.

"I was not prepared, nor did I want to lay anyone off. That was not an option for me, so I chose to pay things late that I thought I could pay late, and the taxes were a simple choice," Lapedis said.

Now he'll have to pay fees and penalties for being delinquent, but he says it's worth it and there are thousands like him.

"It's an increase of roughly 1,200 parcels over last year," said Beverly Hissett with the Treasury Division.

On the cities list of delinquent taxpayers, CBS4 found at least two former Denver Broncos, lawyers, a newspaper editor and lawyer Art Folsom, who was in the news recently for representing terror suspect Najibullah Zazi. Folsom is on the list, owing more than $1,500 in 2008 taxes for his downtown condo. He said he just wasn't aware of the bill.

Rich, poor and in between, many are feeling the pinch.

"You do what is right for your business and I definitely think I chose the right path," Lapedis said.

Lapedis says his business picked up this summer and is good again so now he can comfortably pay the late property taxes.

The vast majority of people who are late eventually end up paying. They have three years to pay. If they don't, they could potentially lose their property.

CBS4 talked to one former Denver Bronco on the list who asked that his name not be used. He said like so many others right now, he finds himself "economically challenged" and unable to pay his property taxes on time.

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