Property owners across Moore County will soon learn the newly assessed value of their homes and land.
The Moore County Tax Department is expected to mail over 74,000 notices to residents this week following the county’s first property revaluation since 2019. Gary Briggs, tax administrator for the county, said some residents can expect to see their property’s value increase by as much as 50 percent.
“We’ve had an extraordinary two-and-a-half-year change in value of real property, and that will be recognized in the value notices that we send out,” Briggs said during a presentation to county commissioners on March 9. “It’ll catch some people by surprise, but we’re open to any questions and appeals.”
And the Tax Department is anticipating “a lot of appeals,” according to Briggs. To make that process easier for residents, his staff will hold a series of workshops beginning later this month at the Moore County Agricultural Center in Carthage.
During the workshops, property owners can share comments and concerns with appraisers, who can then make on-site adjustments to values that are in dispute.
“If information and data is brought before the appraiser that should be considered in influencing their value, a change can be made at that point right then and there,” Briggs said. “That’s one of the advantages and opportunities we have using what’s known as the informal appeals process.”
The workshops will run from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. every weekday from March 27 until April 14. Additional sessions will be held from 3:30 to 7:30 p.m. at several area fire stations including:
• Cypress Pointe Fire Department in Cameron on April 13;
• Eagle Springs Fire Department on April 18;
• Robbins Fire Department on April 20;
• West Moore Fire Department in Seagrove on April 25;
• Cypress Pointe Fire Department in Vass on April 27.
Briggs said the Tax Department will “move to a more structured appeals process” when the county’s Board of Equalization and Review convenes in May.
“At that point, we do schedule an appointment for everyone going before the board so they are given the complete time that they need (to make an appeal),” he said. “There is a lot of time between now and then, so I encourage people to come early and talk to us now.”
The deadline for appeals is June 22 — eight days before county commissioners and town officials are required to set property tax rates for the upcoming fiscal year. The Tax Department said it has “no way to know” if those rates will be affected by the revaluation.
Moore County currently collects 48 cents for every $100 of a property’s valuation. That’s on top of local tax rates that vary among the county’s 11 municipalities.
Pinehurst currently has the lowest rate at 31 cents. Cameron has the highest rate at 57 cents. In revaluation years, Moore County and its municipalities have traditionally passed “revenue neutral” budgets that bring in the same amount of money by lowering tax rates to account for the higher values.
Residents who are at least 65 years old or “totally and permanently disabled” and made less than $33,800 last year may be eligible for a break on their property taxes. Under state law, individuals who meet that criteria could have their bill reduced by up to $25,000 or 50 percent of the appraised value of their home, whichever is greater.
Applications for the exclusion can be obtained through the Moore County Tax Office and must be submitted by June 1.
Reporter
Jaymie Baxley is an award-winning reporter covering public health, social issues and general news for The Pilot. He worked previously at The Robesonian in Lumberton and at The Daily Courier in Forest City.
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(12) comments
" Gary Briggs, tax administrator for the county, said some residents can expect to see their property’s value increase by as much as 50 percent." ONLY 50% would (likely) be awesome. But how about OVER 100%?!? Now we have to waste our time going through the appeal process. Ridiculous!
Higher valuations are the result of false indicators. Uncontrolled government spending has created record inflation, driving up the cost of housing and labor. Disastrous consequences of progressive’s mal-governance, uncontrollable big city violence, homelessness and a flood of illegals across Biden’s open borders are driving people from the west coast and the north to move to conservative states like ours. Thus, poor government and radical far-leftists are largely responsible for higher demand for area housing, leading to higher valuations. It’s all based though on vapor, $32T in debt, and will come crashing down like a giant house of cards. Bank failures are generally a good indication of impending economic collapse. Wise county leaders would anticipate this, tighten their belts, slash budgets, cut headcount, and return money where it belongs best - in the pockets of those who earned it in the private sector.
Appealing a decision will not even be considered in Raleigh unless the evaluation is in excess of 30% from the last evaluation. I know ... I've been there before.
Let me get this straight.
1. The USGA comes to town, and Moore County and Pinehurst give them tax breaks.
2. As a result, we get more people moving to the area and more traffic.
3. Visitor spending is at an all-time high.
and,
4. Our taxes are going up?!?
Do I have it right?
BTW - Did you know the USGA is non-profit and is exempt from federal income tax and North Carolina state income tax? And, the USGA had a fund balance of $385 million in 2019.
Tax rates will change due to these revaluations and there is no guarantee your actual taxes will go up. There will be reported to the Commissioner's what a zero revenue increase rate will be and then Commissioner's will determine if they will stay at that rate, increase or decrease the rate. You may actually end up with a lower tax this year. One of the stated Commissioner goals is to reduce taxes, that will however be dependent on County program and financial needs. We'll soon know which way it goes.
John Misiaszek
Having seen the increase in my valuation it would take a 33% rate decrease to make my tax amount similar to last. year. Can't see the County Commissioners going there.
Where does it say taxes are going up? The value of your property went up but the tax rate will go down to account for it. If your specific property went up more then the average then the revaluation may cause your taxes to go up. If your property value increased less then the average, then the revaluation will cause your taxes to go down.
Spot on. In PA, they are taking a look at taxing nonprofit hospitals, which I'm not sure about. Certainly places like St. Joseph of the Pines should be paying taxes especially based on the high revenue it generates.
If they are looking at non-profits then maybe it's time to tax the churches too.
Given the disastrous economy, 40 year record inflation, a recession and the devastation caused by irrational and unnecessary lockdowns during the CCP flu hysteria, the least the county could do is freeze valuations to what they were in 2019.
Why? What does any of that have to do with property revaluation?
There is a state requirement that all properties must be revalued at least every 8 years. Moore County has adopted a 4 year revaluation cycle and has been on that cycle for a long time. Even though properties have been revalued it doesn't mean your taxes will increase. It depends on what the tax rate / $100 of property valuation that is adopted by the Commissioners whether your actual tax bill will increase. The tax rate is not a fixed rate and is subject to change. With these increases in valuations, you can certainly assume the rate will be lowered. Again, the new rate that is adopted will determine if your tax bull goes up or down.
John Misiaszek
Welcome to the discussion.
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