Agenda - 09-06-2022; 8-a - Minutes

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22 1 issue. She said that they have heard that residents want an increase in the award amount. She 2 said they have also asked to consider including 80% AMI or increasing it to 60% AMI to make 3 sure that homeowners are not left behind. She asked them to cover more than just the increase. 4 She said that from 2000 until now, for residents who are sixty-five and up, their taxes have 5 increased by more than 400%. She said please consider covering more than the increase. She 6 said that the liability numbers are scary and are estimates. She said that the people here tonight 7 are frustrated but they would not be here if they did not have hope. 8 George Barrett was accompanied by two others who showed pictures of two different 9 homes. He said in April 2021, the revaluation year, the neighborhoods were threatened by 10 displacement. He said a home of 1300 square feet, owned by an elderly resident in her 11 nineties, saw values higher than the one on the left, which are double the size, double the 12 bedrooms, built in the early 2000s but used as student households. He said the county's system 13 is failing because it does not consider the nuanced factors of gentrification in neighborhoods like 14 Northside. He said through courageous organizing of the residents, these issues have been 15 spotlighted and the assistance programs have been developed. He said the source of all of this 16 is systemic, and they must continue to pursue systemic solutions. He said they must recognize 17 that proposed liabilities are a hypothesis. He said 2020 and 2021 highlighted inequities that 18 have existed for decades. He said shifting to assist the tax burden as a whole rather than just 19 the increase year to year is an equitable step forward for solutions. 20 Kathy Atwater said a family applied for the Longtime Homeowner Assistance Program 21 and they were denied. She said that demonstrates that there is something wrong with the 22 system. She said for them to have a higher tax value than the one they saw is inequitable. She 23 said her neighbor Heather Ferrell's passion for the community let her know that they have 24 something special in the community. She said people will leave and sell their homes if they 25 cannot afford to pay the tax bills. She said money is going out of the county to the other 26 counties. She said a lot of people have inherited their properties and are not able to sell and buy 27 elsewhere for a reasonable amount. She said having property taxes go up and to not be able to 28 stay there is not right. She said she wants to preserve it and for the longtime residents to be 29 able to leave something for their children. She said this county has become popular, but they 30 should recognize the people who founded it and have been here. She asked that the Board 31 consider all of Orange County, those who are living off fixed income, pensions, so that everyone 32 is considered. 33 Talia Kieu said she was representing neighbors who were unable to make it to the Board 34 meeting. She read statements from them to the Board: 35 Clarence and Jane Fare said they have lived there for over 50 years, but the tax 36 rate is making it very hard. She said they are in their 80s, and it gets harder 37 every year. She said that the neighbors are saying the same thing and there are 38 only three long term residents here and the rest are students. She said they 39 asked for the county to please help with the tax bill. 40 Sophie Mitchell said the county should assist with the entire tax bill and not just 41 the county portion. She said that she lives in between two student rentals and 42 there is no way they can afford to pay higher taxes. She said their house was butt 43 in the early 50s and they haven't changed anything. She asked them to come 44 into our neighborhoods and look at the different homes and to sleep on that 45 before taking a vote. 46 Matthew Fearrington said he has five residences on his street at Starlite Drive. He said 47 the back of the house had a creek, which was converted into a storm drain, but when it rains, it 48 floods houses, basements, and crawl spaces. He said this happens every so many years. He 49 said the town tried to put it underground, but it still floods. He said he has been in his home for 50 20 years, his uncle has bene there 20 years, and no one remembers an assessment actually