In a ceremony last week in the Teller County courthouse, Judge Theresa Kilgore administered the oath of office to Kurt Schoenberger as the new assessor. With the oath, Schoenberger completes the term of Carol Kittelson, who resigned this month.

Schoenberger’s wife, Sheila, and their son Kurtis, were on hand for the ceremony. Their son Marqus is in college in Wisconsin.

For the past 2½ years, Schoenberger has served as chief assessment manager in Kittelson’s office.

Before joining Teller County, Schoenberger worked for eight years in the El Paso County Assessor’s office as an appraiser and personal property auditor.

In his new role as the assessor, Schoenberger intends to hold semi-annual public forums to discuss assessment topics and market trends.

“People can come in and ask questions, about how the valuation process works, how agricultural classification works,” he said. “Our office is dedicated to keeping property owners informed by expanding our resources and outreach efforts.”

Along with enhanced communication, Schoenberger intends to roll out a new website by the end of the year.

“We’ll have updated information about what’s going on with real estate in Teller County in the last several months,” he said.

Without a crystal ball, Schoenberger is hesitant to predict what’s going to happen in the real estate market.

“This year there was a relatively flat market, with a slight pickup in some areas but the average across the county was flat,” he said. “We’re kind of at a pivoting point depending on federal and state policies.”

Schoenberger oversees a staff of 12, including Mike Akana, deputy assessor.

“Developing staff through accessible educational resources is central to my approach, ensuring a knowledgeable and professional team that serves the public with excellence,” he said.

The Schoenbergers have been Teller County residents since 2008.

“We raised our kids in Teller County; they went to school here and that’s why we moved here, for that small town atmosphere,” he said

Looking ahead, Schoenberger has an announcement.

“I do plan to run for the office in November 2026,” he said.