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HomeMy WebLinkAbout02092026 Meeting Summary - Tax Assessment Work GroupDRAFT Orange County Tax Assessment Work Group Meeting Summary Monday, February 9, 2026 Microsoft Teams 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 Nancy Freeman – Tax Administration Director Orange County 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 (virtual) Kate Millard – Community Representative – District 2 Little River Hudson Vaughan - Representative from NC Housing Coalition Chapel Hill Catlin Saunders - Community Representative - District 1 Chapel Hill Shereese Alston - Representative from Property Tax Justice Chapel Hill Staff Present: Denise Clark from the Orange County Budget Office Martha Bordogna, Orange County Staff Attorney Welcome and Roll Call Commissioner and Work Group Co-Chair Marilyn Carter called the meeting to order at 1:01 PM and welcomed everyone. Roll call was conducted at the start of the meeting. John Ferguson attempted to access the meeting but was unable to due to technical difficulties; recording will be forwarded to him. DRAFT Approval of Meeting Summary The meeting summary from January 12, 2026, was approved unanimously. Presentation: Orange County Property Tax Justice: 2025 Equity Analysis and Findings Presenter: Hudson Vaughan, Director of the Community Justice Collaborative Outline of Presentation • Brief background of North Carolina Housing Coalition (NCHC) and an its work • Background of Inequitable Property Tax Valuations • Proerty Tax Justice Data Tools • Tools to Assist with Appeals and Relief • Inequitable Land Valuation 2025 Orange County Revaluation Examples • Land Valuation Issues • Vertical Regressivity: Problems within Neighborhoods 2025 Orange County Revaluation The presentation was not fully completed and will continue at a later date, including the topic of potential strategies to improve equity. Presentation: Orange County Tax Appeal Work Group, Presenter: Leon Meyers, Chair of Board of Equalization and Review Outline of Presentation: • Context: Board of Equalization and Review • Preparation for Revaluation • Appeals Process • Process Innovations Under Considerations Questions and Next Steps Next Meetings: Monday, March 2, 2026, at 1:00 PM (approx. 1.5 hours) • Tentative agenda includes a presentation from a commercial appraiser Monday, March 9, 2026, at 1:00 PM (approx. 1.5 hours) • Review of Request for Proposals (two proposals received) • Presentations from consultants responding to the Tax Assessment Study RFP DRAFT • A small staff team and Co-Chair Commissioners will score proposals • Work group will provide feedback; based on that feedback, contract negotiations will proceed, followed by BOCC agenda approval • Consulting work expected to begin later in February or March Observation from workgroup members: • Vaughan’s presentation was considered enlightening and highlighted the ultimate goal of revaluation process. • Kate Millard expressed interest in the second half of the presentation and in learning about commercial versus residential revaluation processes. • Catlin Saunders appreciated the presenters and noted gaining a deeper understanding of Orange County Justice United’s work. Interest was expressed in seeing more data and charts to understand the statistical impact and to learn more about potential solutions. Commissioner Amy Fowler requested that work group members forward any additional topics of interest to County Manager Travis Myren. Adjournment With no further items to discuss, the Work Group adjourned at 3:07 PM