Minutes 04-20-2021 Virtual Business Meeting

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43 house has 2 bathrooms and another has only one. She said staff may not have this information, so it can be helpful to know these details. She said mass appraisals are done, and access to the homes is not always available. She said some people do their own appraisals, but it is not required as staff can gather more details by speaking to the homeowners. Commissioner McKee asked if one files an appeal, are there in house County employees who would do an appraisal. Chad Phillips said the Board of Equalization and Review can order an appraisal to be done. He said the Tax Department can do an appraisal but it is not a fee appraisal, as it requires a different license. He said if the appellant wants staff to look at the property, staff will do so, but cannot say it is a fee appraisal, as that is a different type of license Commissioner McKee said in revaluation years the County should contract with fee appraisers to do an appraisal of a house. He said this would make the process easier and more fair. He said the County should have a process to back up its own figures. Bonnie Hammersley said the County assists when there is an appeal, and there is integrity in the process. She said errors are reviewed and changed when found. She said the County is objective. She said the appraisers in the Tax Department are objective, and different areas cannot be treated differently. She said comparables do look at square footage. She said forms are sent out in January to allow homeowners to note any changes on properties. She said the Tax Department is looking at over 70,000 properties in Orange County, and is following state policies. She said in many areas it is a policy issue, not an operations issue. She said she wants to support the integrity of the Department, and staff is meeting to discuss the concerns raised by the Northside neighborhood. She said staff is willing to help in any way possible. Chair Price left the meeting at 10:41 p.m. due to technology issues. Commissioner Fowler asked if there is a reason there are more appeals this year. Nancy Freeman said she estimated 4,000 appeals this year, based on the fact that residential properties have increased. She said the economy is also depressed. She said staff used information from the recession in 2009 to estimate the number of appeals, and wants to be as prepared as possible. She said there may not be this many appeals. Chair Price returned to the meeting at 10:44 p.m. Bonnie Hammersley there are more appeals when revaluations are done every 4 years. Commissioner Bedford urged that there be more publicity on how to appeal. She encouraged extending the appeal deadline if necessary, and legal to do so. Chair Price asked if it was possible to extend the appeal time frame. Chad Phillips said no, it has to be done by a specific date. Chair Price said meeting with people in the neighborhood is important, and she encouraged intensive outreach. Chair Price said differences in homes go beyond cosmetic differences. She said the appraised values have extreme differences depending on location. She asked if there is a method to determine neighborhood boundaries. She asked if there is anything that Chapel Hill can do when zoning properties. She said a property being rented to students is not the same as a residential property. She asked if the County could classify theses properties differently, if there were classified differently by the Town. Nancy Freeman said the State and the International Association of Assessing Officers spell out the classifications.