Valencia County Corrects 2025 Property Tax Mill Rate Error, Residents Advised to Wait

Valencia County officials disclosed on November 26 that an error in the net taxable value used to calculate 2025 property tax mill rates produced incorrect preliminary tax bills. Treasurer Ron Saiz alerted property owners that the Local Government Division of the New Mexico Department of Finance and Administration is reviewing and correcting the mill rates before the county issues final bills.

The mistake affects the base value to which mill rates are applied. Because property tax liability is calculated by multiplying the mill rate by the net taxable value, an incorrect taxable value can change the amount due for individual taxpayers and for taxing entities that rely on those collections. County leaders told taxpayers to delay payment until corrected bills are released, noting that any payments made on bills produced with the incorrect mill rates will need to be manually adjusted.

Manual adjustments will require staff time at the treasurer's office and in the county finance department, and officials warned that the extra workload may cause delays in reconciling taxpayer accounts and in processing refunds or credits. The need for manual intervention also raises the potential for extended timelines before taxpayers see corrected account statements or confirmation that their payments have been properly applied.

For residents, the immediate practical effect is straightforward. Hold off on paying your current 2025 property tax bill until you receive a corrected bill. Avoiding premature payments will reduce the administrative burden of issuing and reconciling manual adjustments, and will help the county manage cash flow and accounting for affected tax rolls.

The correction process will also affect taxing authorities that depend on timely collections for budgeting. County finance officials will need to coordinate with municipal governments, school districts, and other local taxing entities to update revenue projections once corrected mill rates are finalized.

Residents with questions were directed to contact the Valencia County Treasurer's Office for details on their accounts and on the timing of corrected bills. County officials have said they will issue updated statements when the Local Government Division completes its corrections.