By Rich Fowler
Staff Writer
Orange County’s property revaluation has led to an unprecedented number of appeals, county officials say.
The Orange County Tax Assessor’s Office has processed more than 5,000 informal appeals, according to Orange County assessor John Smith That’s four times more than they’ve ever had to handle before.
“We’ve never had over 1,200,†Smith said.
The assessor’s office sent out the first batch of 4,724 notices on May 29, with the rest expected to be sent out by late June.
By the time they’re done, Smith estimates the county will have sent out between 7,000 to 8,000 notices. Besides appeals, 500 to 600 of the notices are for last year’s new construction and the rest come from other reviews.
“We also review numerous areas and reviewed areas that weren’t appealed,†he said.
Smith said that approximately 50 percent of the appealed valuations had been reduced.
“I think the quality of the appeals has been much higher than what we’ve seen in previous years,†he said. “Instead of it being just somebody writing in or coming in and just saying, ‘It’s too high,’ most appeals have had some good documentation.â€
Residents who still want to appeal after getting their notice from the assessor’s office can appeal to the Orange County Board of Equalization and Review.
“We’ll make sure that every person has at least a minimum of 30 days to get that appeal in,†Smith said.
Those who missed the March 31 deadline to file an informal appeal to have their revaluation reviewed can still file an appeal with the board until July 23.
For the first time, residents can choose between appearing in person before the board and filing their appeal on paper. The idea was to make the appeals process more accessible for people with busy schedules.
“The good thing about people being there is that if the board has questions, they can ask them right then; but the flip side of that is that if the board has questions, we can always call and ask.â€
Smith says he thinks the large number of appeals will help the revaluation be more accurate.
“We appreciate the input. I think that ultimately, the revaluation is going to be 5,000 appeals better than it would have been. Whether we made an adjustment or not on an individual appeal, I think that the overall effort is going to be much better. The results are going to be much better than they would have been if we hadn’t had the input from the individuals that we have had.â€
Forms to file an appeal with the board are available at the Orange County Tax Assessor’s website, co.orange.nc.us/assessor
I appealed in January and still have not heard. Last time I called it would be no later than June 1. Of course they did not tell me which year.