Orange County NC Website
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l <br />ITEMS OF INTEREST <br />Forestry Notification <br />Property owners currently do .not receive .any notification <br />of impending forestry activities planned for adjoining <br />properties. Orange County believes the State should at a <br />minimum implement a courtesy notification process, for <br />adjoining property owners. (Note: Approved by a vote of 5-2 <br />- Commissioners Yuhasz and McKee voting nay) <br />Machinery Act <br />North Carolina property tax law substantially limits the <br />ability of local governments to address property tax <br />discrepancies, such as prohibiting the refund of prior <br />years' taxes paid after a measurement and/or condition <br />property appraisal error is discovered. Orange County <br />believes that local governments need more flexibility to <br />remedy such errors. Just as local governments can recoup <br />prior years' property taxes from owners for "discoveries", <br />local governments should likewise be authorized to refund <br />prior years' taxes paid when situations such as measurement <br />and/or condition property appraisal errors are discovered. <br />Homestead Exemption <br />Orange County believes Homestead Exemption provisions of <br />the Machinery Act should be reformed to: <br />1) provide greater opportunities for low-income <br />seniors to remain in their homes and not be <br />displaced due to property tax burdens; <br />2) eliminate the. discriminatory features of the <br />exemption. provisions relating to couples; and <br />3) address the ineffectiveness of the exemption <br />provisions in communities where property values <br />increase at substantial rates over short periods <br />of time.. <br />* Court Facility Fees <br />Orange County recently completed an $11 million. justice <br />facility expansion, a substantial .investment for the <br />County. Like other North Carolina counties, the County <br />receives limited financial support for the construction of <br />judicial facilities as well as the on-going annual facility <br />operation and maintenance. As court fees and jail housing <br />fees are reduced, Orange County .believes counties should be <br />