Orange County NC Website
Browse       Search
ORANGE COUNTY <br />BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS <br />ACTION AGENDA ITEM ABSTRACT <br />Meeting Date: February 6, 2001 <br />Action Agenda <br />Item No. $ - e, <br />SUBJECT: Property Refunds <br />DEPARTMENT: Assessors Office PUBLIC HEARING: (Y/N) No <br />ATTACHMENT(S): INFORMATION CONTACT: <br />John Smith, ext 2101 <br />Resolution <br />Tax Refund Requests <br />TELEPHONE NUMBERS: <br />Hillsborough 732-8181 <br />Chapel Hill 968-4501 <br />Durham 688-7331 <br />Mebane 336-227-2031 <br />PURPOSE: To consider adoption of refund resolution related to five (5) requests for property <br />tax refunds. <br />BACKGROUND: The Assessor's Office has received requests from five (5) taxpayers for <br />refunds of property taxes they have paid in prior fiscal years. General Statute 105-381(b), <br />"Action of Governing Body" provides that "upon receiving a taxpayer's written statement of <br />defense and request for release or refund, the governing body of the Taxing Unit shall within 90 <br />days after receipt of such a request determine whether the taxpayer has a valid defense to the <br />tax imposed or any part thereof and shall either release or refund that portion of the amount that <br />is determined to be in excess of the correct liability or notify the taxpayer in writing that no <br />release or refund will be made". North Carolina law allows the Board to approve property tax <br />refunds for the current and four previous fiscal years. <br />The largest of these refunds is a Property Tax Commission appeal of the Lowes property in <br />Chapel Hill, which has just been decided in the Property Tax Commission (PTC) proceedings. <br />Two appraisals were made on this property as part of the PTC proceedings. The first indicated <br />a value of $10,600,000 and the second, a value of $11,500,000. Upon agreement by all parties <br />involved, the Property Tax Commission decided on a value of $11,000,317. According to <br />GS 105-290(3), once a certified copy of the PTC order is issued, a county must correct the <br />abstracts and tax records to reflect the Commission's order. <br />FINANCIAL IMPACT: Approval of these changes will result in a net reduction in revenue of <br />$60,922.22 to the County, municipalities, and special districts. The largest of these refunds is <br />related to a 1999 Property Tax Commission appeal on the Lowes property in Chapel Hill that <br />has just been decided. This refund totals $59,679.54. Staff was aware of the potential of this <br />decision and accounted for it in the department's annual budgetary projections. Therefore, this <br />action will not create any budgetary problems.