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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMeeting Summary - Tax Assessment Workgroup - 103125 DRAFT Orange County Tax Assessment Work Group Meeting Summary Friday, October 31, 2025 at 1:00 PM Bonnie B Davis Center 1020 US-70 W, Hillsborough, NC Members Present: ■ Commissioner Amy Fowler— Co-Chair, Board of Commissioners ■ Commissioner Marilyn Carter—Co-Chair, Board of Commissioners ■ Commissioner Phyliss Portie-Ascott—Co-Chair, Board of Commissioners ■ Travis Myren —Orange County Manager ■ Kirk Vaughn — Budget Director Orange County ■ Wil Glen —Community Relations Director Orange County ■ Paul Slack—Chief Civil Rights Officer Orange County ■ Neal Bench —Community Representative — District 1 Chapel Hill ■ Kate Millard —Community Representative — District 2 Little River ■ Hudson Vaughn - Representative from NC Housing Coalition Chapel Hill ■ Catlin Saunders - Community Representative - District 1 Chapel Hill ■ Delores Baily- Non-Profit Housing Provider Chapel Hill ■ Shereese Alston - Representative from Property Tax Justice Chapel Hill Members Absent: John Ferguson - Community Representative - District 2 Eno Staff Present: Denise Clark from the Orange County Budget Office • Welcome and Introductions Commissioner and Work Group Co-Chair Amy Fowler called the meeting to order at 1:00 PM and welcomed everyone. All in-person Work Group members and staff briefly introduced themselves. A request was made to provide a virtual attendance option for members unable to attend in person. In response to this request,future meetings will offer a virtual option for remote attendance. • Review of Proposed Ground Rules DRAFT Co-Chair Fowler reviewed the Ground Rules for the Work Group. (see attachment) She also noted that any additional questions or input related to the Work Group may be emailed to ocbocc@orangecountync.gov or addressed during upcoming Board of Commissioners Business Meetings. • Review of the Group Charge and Role of Work Group County Manager Travis Myren shared a presentation titled "Background on Revaluation;' providing an overview of the revaluation process, it's purpose and its implications. (see attachment for full slide deck) Throughout the presentation, attendees asked questions and provided comments. While not all questions and responses were captured in full, key themes and discussion points are summarized below: • County Manager Myren explained the appeal process and clarified that the budget assumed a 3% reduction in the tax base from successful appeals of value • Kirk Vaughn clarified that the County sets the tax rate, not the tax base. • Attendees asked about the appeals process, including timelines (15 days to appeal, 30 days for response). • Catlin Saunders inquired whether neighborhoods would be notified of changes following the neighborhood review process. Freeman confirmed notifications are sent as well as refunds where applicable. • Several questions focused on how neighborhoods are defined for tax purposes. • Freeman noted that the GIS(Geographic Information System) maps located on the Tax Administration webpage can be used to identify neighborhoods using assigned 4-digit codes. Website Link: .ittps://gis.orangecountVnc.gov/orangely(-(iIS/detault.ntm • There was interest in how neighborhood codes are assigned and whether they can change. Freeman stated they typically remain the same. • Freeman stated that the goal is to complete neighborhood reviews by mid- November and complete all appeals by the end of the year. • County Manager Myren noted that additional contractors have been brought on to help meet the November target. • The next update to the BOCC is scheduled for November 18, 2025. Reports will separate residential and non-residential appeals, as well as appeal adjustments by property. • Delores Baily stated her purpose is to represent the community and to relay information to those she is representing. She emphasized the importance of representing older neighborhoods and requested clearer grouping of neighborhoods. DRAFT • Concerns were raised that older neighborhoods outside of Chapel Hill were not receiving as much attention as other neighborhoods in Chapel Hill. Baily emphasized the importance of ensuring these communities are equally represented and considered in the appeal and neighborhood review processes. • Co-Chair Carter referenced a question from a previous Board of County Commissioners (BOCC) meeting regarding the need to re-run the equity analysis following recent adjustments. The purpose is to review updated statistics and validate the impact of those changes. • Freeman will provide materials from Tax Assessors course she previously attended and will explore potential presenters for future Work Group meetings. • Commissioner Carter shared some insight from networking with Wake County representatives at the Tax Assessors course. She noted that Wake County is currently on a 3-year revaluation cycle and plans to move to a 2-year cycle in the future. The county also intends to implement a citizen feedback group next year. • Neal Bench requested data comparing total appeals from this year to previous. County Manager Myren confirmed that the number of appeals has doubled. • A request was made to provide a link to the WCHL program for participants. Baily stated she will provide the link. • The group discussed the importance of educating the public on the revaluation and appeals process to build trust and transparency. Co-Chair Fowler read the charge of the Work Group. (see attachment) County Manager Myren explained the RFP process which is for a consultant to assist with reviewing the County's assessment process and procedures as well as making recommendations for the future. Reports will be shared with the Work Group as well as a list of recommendations that the Work Group will consider presenting to the BOCC. Questions were raised about vendor selection. County Manager Myren confirmed that a Request for Proposal (RFP) draft is in progress and will be available for review at the next meeting. He also explained the process to award a contract. • Questions/Comments/Ideas for Future Discussion • Kirk Boone from the UNC School of Government and Doug Huffman from the NC Department of Revenue are scheduled to discuss the reappraisal process in North Carolina. This presentation is scheduled for November 14, 2025, at 1:00 PM at Solid Waste Administration in Chapel Hill. • County Manager Myren proposed a future presentation on "How Taxes Work" • The option for virtual attendance was reiterated, and a Teams link will be provided for each meeting. • Future classes and discussion topics will be determined at a later date. DRAFT Adjournment With no further items to discuss, the Work Group adjourned at 2:25 PM