Brad Hughes was elected to his fifth term as Montrose County Assessor in November of 2022. Prior to becoming Assessor in 2006, he served for 8 years as the Chief Deputy Assessor and Chief Appraiser for Montrose County. Before coming to Montrose, he was employed as a Commercial Appraiser in Mesa County and as the Chief Appraiser in Ouray County. He has also worked as a Residential Appraiser in both Routt and Jefferson Counties. In all, Brad has more than 30 years experience in 5 different Colorado Assessors' Offices.
He started his assessment career at the entry level position and through hard work, dedication and commitment has advanced to the position of Assessor. Working in these diverse offices has prepared him to run an efficient, productive, and professional office. Brad has vast experience in the areas of assessment, appraisal, management, budgeting, Colorado property tax law, and public relations.
Brad received a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Economics from Colorado State University. He holds the designation of Certified General Appraiser, which is the highest level of licensing issued by the State of Colorado. He has taken over 1,250 hours of formal classroom education on appraisal and assessment. In 2014, Brad was awarded an MAI designation from the Appraisal Institute; this noteworthy accomplishment took 16 years to complete.
He is also a member of the International Association of Assessing Officers, the Appraisal Institute, the Colorado Association of Tax Appraisers and the Colorado Assessors' Association. Within the CAA, he chairs the Resolutions Committee and serves on the Agricultural, AOY, Legislative, GIS, Education, and IAAO committees. He is a board member for the Colorado Coalition of Appraisers and is a member of the Colorado Chapter of the Appraisal Institute’s Education Committee. Also, he currently serves as Montrose County’s representative on the Montrose Urban Renewal Authority Board. In 2011, Brad was awarded "Assessor of the Year" by his peers in the Colorado Assessors' Association.
His primary objective is to achieve the most accurate and equitable valuations within Montrose County. Another goal is to continue a strong commitment towards new technology. He believes this is how the office will manage to successfully complete all of their statutory tasks with reduced staffing and a limited budget. Brad is also committed to improving the quality of property data that is available to the public. He has fulfilled a long awaited goal of linking the internet based Eagleweb (Assessor's Property Data) to the interactive Parcel Map Viewer (GIS mapping system). This goal was further enhanced with the addition of Eagleview aerial imagery. This contemporary tool allows the Assessor's Office to conduct virtual property inspections using multiple-angled high-resolution oblique aerial photography. A complete upgrade of the Assessor’s property record search website will be a main focus during his fifth term in office.
Brad enjoys a wide array of activities including hunting, fishing, camping, riding ATVs, and collecting antique tools. He was raised on a horse ranch outside the Denver/Boulder area and relocated to the Montrose area with his wife Vanessa in 1993. They have two sons. |