Minutes 09-13-2022 Work Session - Laserfiche WebLink

Browse Search

Kirk Boone said that assessors have an obligation to do one thing. He said they do not create value. He said assessors and appraisers report what is really happening in the market. He said they report what buyers and sellers are doing. He said that the solution to the issue described by Commissioner Richards is more frequent reappraisal. He said that gentrification is a big issue. He said the assessor's office reports what the properties are selling for. He said the solution for gentrification might come from the Board, planners, the County Manager, and the assessor, who can report on what is happening in the market. Chair Price asked about the maps on slide #8 and #9. She asked how the neighborhoods were decided. Kirk Boone said it is a manual process by the tax assessor's office, but that the assessor's office has access to software programs that can analyze where neighborhood boundaries should be drawn. He said the manual side is starting with a property, then go outward from that point where the four forces of value are no longer affecting property the same way. He said at that point a boundary would be drawn. Chair Price said that there are neighborhoods in Orange County where the forces of gentrification are uneven. She said the map looks uneven and asked if it is arbitrary where lines can be drawn. Kirk Boone said no. Chair Price said the map showed what looked like little islands for neighborhoods. Kirk Boone said those areas could be subdivisions, or an area that has different zoning. He said boundaries can be political boundaries, city or town limits, or physical limits like a river. Chair Price said it looks like someone could cut out a specific street. Kirk Boone said that is possible. He said it could be a street, a railroad line, a vacant lot, or something the appraiser has seen when collecting data. Chair Price said that she was referring to the map on slide #9. Kirk Boone said that the map on slide #9 showed a closer view of one area of Iredell County that was next to a lake. He said that many of those neighborhood boundaries were likely subdivisions. Chair Price said some neighborhoods looked landlocked. She used Hillsborough as an example and asked if assessors would create a neighborhood boundary just around the Whitted Building, or would the whole street be part of the neighborhood. Kirk Boone said that assessors would not cut out just a block on a street. He said neighborhood boundaries are related to the forces of value. He said that he was not aware of how Iredell County drew their boundaries, but he understands the method of drawing boundaries. Slide #11 Reappraisal Reappraisal accuracy Maintain accurate property data between cycles. —Physical and other pertinent info. —Geographic areas assigned to appraisers. —Pick up new construction accurately. —Check existing parcels for accuracy. —Communicate with property owners.