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37 <br /> organizations in the Fairview community. His said he has had a lot of conversations with <br /> generous, hardworking people about the burden of homeownership and tax burdens. He said <br /> he has had a lot of conversations about low wage jobs and fixed incomes. He said that even if <br /> tax rates haven't gone up, what they have to pay is a substantial portion of their income. He <br /> said he was part of the group that went to the Piney Grove neighborhood. He said they found a <br /> lot people in Northern Orange County who never got the word about the program. He said they <br /> were people who have low incomes and have trouble making ends meet. He said there were <br /> people who could have used property tax relief, but didn't meet all of the criteria. He said he <br /> appreciated that the proposal made positive changes towards that. He said what's really <br /> needed is a more equitable system of sharing the tax burden. He said maybe people like him <br /> should pay a bigger share to help those who don't have a lot. He said he hoped the goal would <br /> be to have a more equitable system. <br /> Kathy Atwater said she is a resident of the Northside community and works at the <br /> Marian Cheek Jackson Center. She thanked the tax office for working with their center. She <br /> said the calculations for the valuations are all wrong. She said her community is valued 80% <br /> higher than a neighborhood two blocks away. She said houses that were built in 1930 or 1940, <br /> compared to a house that was built in 2010, are taxed higher. She said they appreciate the <br /> Longtime Homeowners Assistance Program, but one of the residents said "What about me <br /> being behind on my taxes? You may help me with this current year, but taxes continue to draw <br /> interest. I'm trying to catch up and I can't catch up because of the interest that's being taxed." <br /> She asked the Board to look at this in a more systemic way, as a stepping stone. She said the <br /> final solution is looking at the valuations. She encouraged the Board to take the issue to the <br /> state. She said let's get something done, so all of Orange County can live in Orange County. <br /> George Barrett said this is a "yes and" moment. He said we need all all the tools to <br /> mitigate the injustice on black and brown communities. He said his story will be about <br /> Northside, but will describe many black and brown communities. He said that in April 2021, <br /> property tax revaluations arrived in the mail and for many black elders in Northside, Pine Knolls, <br /> and Tin Top, opening these letters came with a shock. He said that on average, these <br /> residents saw their valuations go up 53%. He said this was a much larger increase than nearby <br /> white neighborhoods. He said some property tax bills more than doubled. He said the property <br /> tax revaluation placed a heavier tax burden on Northside residents. He said in comparison, <br /> affluent neighborhoods' property tax valuations largely remained the same. He said three <br /> neighborhoods near Northside saw increases ranging from -1% to 13%. He said single family <br /> homes in several Chapel Hill neighborhoods rose an average of 8% in comparison to single <br /> family homes in Northside that rose five times that amount. He said residents responded with <br /> creative resilience and saw major wins in property tax advocacy through a coalition of creative <br /> advocacy with Empowerment, the Chapel Hill — Carrboro NAACP, and Justice United. He said <br /> more than 650 community members joined neighbors to challenge Orange County's inequitable <br /> valuations of Northside properties. He said the county responded giving more time for appeals <br /> and reviewing the valuations, and creating the Longtime Homeowner Assistance Program. He <br /> said going forward his community is committed to creating systemic change to valuations so <br /> that this crisis does not happen again. He said it requires leadership to craft new and <br /> innovative ways to create a more equitable process for how property is valuated and to enable <br /> long term residents to thrive. <br /> Delores Bailey said she is a resident of Northside and a homeowner. She said they <br /> have lived on Graham St. for 47 years. She said her home is located in the heart of Northside, <br /> and her home is attractive to investors and developers. She said the tax value of her property <br /> has slowly risen. She said that in 2021, the community and its partners fought an extraordinary <br /> tax increase. She said it incited the residents to start appealing taxes. She said the appeals <br /> happened, but that did not fix the problems. She said she had an attorney help her complete <br />