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21 <br /> Travis Myren said yes, but that they could prioritize the need based on tax burden or <br /> another means to calculate need. <br /> Chair Price said that she is afraid people are still getting left out. She said that the issue <br /> is still present, that people's properties are valued too high for them to afford the taxes. She <br /> said this was one of the concerns of the Chapel Hill neighborhoods and the rural areas. She <br /> said properties are not valued the way they should be. She said that one problem in Chapel Hill <br /> is the students of the university living in the same neighborhoods as single-family homes and <br /> there are properties in other areas of Orange County that have never been assessed in a while. <br /> She said that she would like to have this investigated and make sure that properties are being <br /> fairly assessed. <br /> Commissioner Hamilton thanked the Tax Assessor for the information. She said it <br /> helped her get an understanding of the size of the program. She said even though they are <br /> estimates it was still a better grasp on the number than they have had in the past. She said that <br /> the program must be sustainable. She said that it does not make sense to offer it for one year <br /> and then not. She said they should do $250,000 for the first year, even if that means taking <br /> more from ARPA, and be thinking long term about taking it out of general revenues. She said <br /> that given the magnitude they should go back and do to 10 years. She said that this will <br /> guarantee that long term homeowners are protected. She said that there are two issues. She <br /> said one is there is an issue with how properties are appraised and valued, and the larger issue <br /> is the tax burden on low-income people in the community. She asked what they are going to do <br /> to help low-income residents get relief on the taxes. She said that she supports staff coming <br /> back with some needs-based factors because she wants to make sure that the people that <br /> need the money, get the money. <br /> PUBLIC COMMENT: <br /> Heather Ferrell said she lives in the Northside neighborhood of Chapel Hill. She said <br /> she is trying to make sense of the numbers. She said the total liability is a large number and is <br /> confusing. She said she wanted to talk about the Northside neighborhood. She said the <br /> neighborhood is not designated historical, but it is historical because of the families that have <br /> lived there for over one hundred years. She said these are the families that are being harmed <br /> by the unfair valuations and the tax burden. She said the neighborhood is up against an influx <br /> of investment properties. She asked the Board to do what they can to help. She said that the <br /> community is a special place to live. She said that it is hard to watch a $2 million incentive for a <br /> private company, and they need to value community history at the same level as economic <br /> development. <br /> Horace Johnson thanked the Board for their comments on the recent shootings in <br /> Buffalo and Texas. He said he came to talk about those that have been disproportionately <br /> impacted by the pandemic but changed his mind when he heard the presentation by Well Dot. <br /> He said that typically, governments put too much effort on attracting outside businesses but fail <br /> to grow the local assets. He mentioned the opportunity zones and that they are determined by <br /> political interest. He said they fail to prioritize community leadership. He said that place based <br /> policies fall short because they are rarely centered around racial equity. He asked the Board <br /> two questions. He asked if the Board would become galvanized in their efforts to save these <br /> historical neighborhoods with tax assistance for all or will the Board be remembered for being <br /> complicit in further assisting the eradication and gentrification of those historical neighborhoods. <br /> He said that history will record everything the Board decides on this matter. He asked where will <br /> people go? He asked the Board to please give that some thought. <br /> Christine Abernethy, Director of Housing Justice at Marian Cheek Jackson Center. She <br /> said that they have been running a tax support program for about five years. She said they also <br />