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23 <br /> floods houses, basements, and crawl spaces. He said this happens every so many years. He <br /> said the town tried to put it underground, but it still floods. He said he has been in his home for <br /> 20 years, his uncle has bene there 20 years, and no one remembers an assessment actually <br /> being done. He said that if you look underneath the houses it is rotting, and no one ever came <br /> to look at what shape it is in. <br /> Paul Caldwell said he is a 50-year resident of Northside area and lives on Church <br /> Street. He said that Northside used to be a predominantly black neighborhood. He said that <br /> there are only five Black families that live on Church Street now and that is due to the fact that <br /> they have sold out to real estate developers to build duplexes and apartments. He said that it is <br /> pretty much all rental properties for students. He said they can afford those rents as students, <br /> and he has no problem with them but would like help for longtime residents. He said that he <br /> has been asked numerous times to sell but he wants to leave his properties to his children. He <br /> said he has pride in being a resident of Northside and wants to stay as long as he can. He said <br /> that he doesn't want to complain, but the students litter his yard, and he has to clean it up. <br /> Laine Staton said she is with Habitat for Humanity. She shared two stories that make <br /> sense of the numbers. She said that she got a call from someone that said her neighbor had <br /> sold her house for $225,000 and had originally paid $60,000. She said that initially, this made <br /> her happy because the seller was able to build wealth through homeownership. However, the <br /> home was sold to a developer who then turned around and sold it for $500,000. She said this <br /> made her heart race when she heard it because she knew that it was going to have a major <br /> impact on the tax assessment for her Habitat homes and all of the people in the community. <br /> She said the second story is regarding delinquencies. She said that in the first six month of her <br /> being there, she met with people that are significantly behind on mortgages. She went on to <br /> explain that one of the people that she met with was a master gardener and worked in <br /> maintenance at UNC, and that she was simply an incredible woman. She said that she had <br /> bought her home 15 years ago. She said that the woman was injured on the job and unable to <br /> run the buffing machine anymore. She said that the injury led to the woman leaving work and <br /> taking her Social Security. She said that she is now on a fixed income and only brings in $1,300 <br /> a month. She said that once the in the tax amount took effect, her 30% of her monthly income <br /> only covers a small portion of her mortgage. She asked the Board how she is supposed to help <br /> this woman. She said there was an option of extending the loan, but the woman would be 92 <br /> years old before it was paid off. She said this woman has loved and contributed to this <br /> community and asked the Board to please help her with the tax burden. <br /> Chair Price said that the suggestion from the County Manager was to come back on <br /> June 7t" for further discussion. <br /> Commissioner Greene said she was encouraged by what she heard during the meeting. <br /> She said she appreciated staff's efforts to show what 100% looks like because it shows the <br /> great burden that is out there. She said she understands that the amount of money they put <br /> aside is within their control. She said that there is almost $200,000 left and maybe next year <br /> could go forward with an equal amount, perhaps more, because that is under the Board's <br /> control. She said there is a lot going on, so she is glad to have more time to consider the <br /> materials. She said that at the next meeting there should be a policy discussion to decide <br /> whether they allocate the funds on a sliding scale of need or they divide it up so that everyone <br /> gets some. She said that she can agree that the problem is the tax burden. She said that the <br /> reason for a 2% and a 3% number in the packet is because the 2% is the operative number, the <br /> county amount of the tax, not the whole tax bill. She said that she wants to see that idea <br /> developed in a proposal back to them. She said that she would be happy if it models the <br /> Jackson Center's approach. She said that she fully understands that it is a systemic problem. <br /> She said that it is not a surprise that they are not the only community dealing with it. She said <br />