Minutes 05-24-2022 Business Meeting

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24 that they can start working on the systemic issues in the community. She said that about a year ago, President Biden worked with HUD to setup a taskforce on property and valuation inequities and the county can learn from what they are doing. She said the National Fair Housing Alliance has issued a report where they discuss how the bias came about and how to tackle it. She said that she is very eager to solve the problem and thanked everyone for their heartfelt statements. Commissioner Fowler thanked the public in attendance for sharing their stories. She said it does appear that there needs to be tax relief, not just related to the 2021 tax bill. She asked if there was a way to assess the luxury apartments to make sure they are paying their fair share. She asked if there is a systematic way, they can do that and also for those in the lower income range. She said that she appreciates that there is time to come back and review the many ways to do this work. She said that she thinks they could examine finding a formula based on need, how long they have resided in the dwelling, and she is also unopposed to making sure everyone gets a little. She said maybe there can be a combination. She asked if other counties have specific percentages and if they use inserts. She said she wants to give as much as they can but to be careful not to over promise. Commissioner McKee said he has long had concerns with the assessment and appeals process. He is interested in the two properties that were shown during George Barrett's comments. He asked if the valuation was appealed for the single-family home. He said it makes no sense what the single-family home was assessed at. He said that he is not in favor of first come, first serve. He said one of the first things to do is figuring out how to get the word out broadly. He said he has no clue if the amount should be $200,000 or $18 million. He said that he is in support of helping everyone that needs help, but he wants to make sure that those that need it the most, receive it. He said he is just unsure how to get there. He said that he owns a farm and is a beneficiary of a state law that allows farmland to be taxed at a lower value. He said without that, the land that has been owned by his family since the 1820s, would have been sold years ago. Commissioner Bedford thanked staff for their work on the presentation. She said that they are in a phase to keep doing more. She asked that people come back each year to report on progress. She said the effort is finding a balance and a more efficient way to keep people in their homes and it is the right thing to do. She said that she wants to be able to age in her home, and that is what most seniors want, and should be able to do. She said that they need to start evaluating the progress each year. Commissioner Hamilton said it is clear that appraisals need to be fair and they also need to address the revaluations. Commissioner Richards said it is important to underscore the valuation part of this conversation. She said that as the county builds, they need to make sure properties are valued properly. She said they should make sure they are incentivizing in a way that is not to the detriment of the potential growth in revenue. She said they need to look at valuations on the lower end and the top end as well. She commended the community for holding the Board accountable and informing and educating them on the issues. She said the message that it is more than the impact of the assessment, but the overall tax situation has been made clear. She said that she thinks they need more time to discuss the possible solutions. Chair Price thanked staff for continuing to work on the issue. She said that staff listened to the community and continues to do so. She said they must look at the immediate concerns and determine how to preserve neighborhoods. She said they must also look at more than just the tax burden. She said they need to look into the other things that people have to pay for and the cost burden of living in a place they want to live. She said this is a systemic problem of gentrification and a system that is based on the state to use comparable homes. She said maybe they need to work with with Chapel Hill on how to re-identify some of the properties. She said that while two houses look similar, there are different things going on in each home.