Buncombe Commissioners: No relief?

  • Waste-management fee raised
  • Calls for social services increase

On the agenda for the Buncombe County Board of Commissioners' June 16 meeting, the matter was simply labeled “Resolution Rescinding Resolution 06-08-06,” but what it meant was far more complex, as the commissioners decided to postpone the county's next property-tax revaluation until 2014.

The last revaluation was conducted in 2006 — at the height of the local housing boom – and at that time, the board scheduled the next revaluation for 2010.

Since then, however, the economy has declined sharply, led by a flailing housing market.

One might expect this to lead to lower property values, and thus lower taxes. But instead, Tax Department Director Gary Roberts asked the board to delay the revaluation, predicting that if it were done next year, homeowners would probably see their property taxes rise by 5 to 7 percent.

“With the markets changing as quickly as they are, this is not a good time to do a reappraisal,” Roberts told the commissioners. “I don't like to come to you like this, but I never thought I'd see housing values change the way they have.”

Property values, he said, continued to rise during 2007 and part of 2008, and though they've since declined some, they're still higher than they were in 2006, according to figures from the N.C. Department of Revenue.

State law requires counties to revalue property only once every eight years. Counties may choose to do so more recently and can change the schedule at any time, unless current market values are out of line with assessed values by at least 15 percent — in which case a revaluation is mandatory. But the board has been scheduling revaluations every four years, ostensibly in an effort to keep tax values consistent with market values and thus avoid huge, sudden jumps in individual homeowners' tax bills amid rising prices.

“I don't think our community is anywhere near where the national average is [in terms of the drop in housing prices], but we have had a slight decrease” from the peak of the boom, noted Roberts. “I think it will probably last just a little bit longer.”

In its current form, the proposed county budget for the fiscal year that begins July 1 includes $5.9 million in spending cuts and maintains the current tax rate (52.5 cents per $100 of assessed value).

Asked if there was a particular type of home or area where values have declined, Roberts told Xpress: “Are there property values that are overvalued or undervalued today? Yes, we have appeals every day, and if our citizens truly believe their values are incorrect, we'll be happy to sit down with them.”

On a 4-0 vote, the board delayed the next revaluation until 2014. (Commissioner Holly Jones was on vacation.)

“There's no question that if a citizen has a question, you're open to discussing the situation,” said Commissioner Carol Peterson, noting that Roberts was recently named “Tax Collector of the Year” by the N.C. Tax Collectors' Association.

“The bottom line is that, in tough economic times, this is the better course of action,” asserted Commissioner K. Ray Bailey.

Board Chair David Gantt, meanwhile, touted the move as a way to save taxpayers money.

“A lot of tax collectors wouldn't come in and make this request, because it probably hurts us: We won't make as much money,” said Gantt. “But it's the right thing to do. People are hurting; people are in bad shape. This is the time that no one asked for and no one anticipated, and I think this is a good way to handle it. It's a fair thing for people that are hurting.”

But Enka resident (and longtime Board of Commissioners watchdog) Jerry Rice wasn't buying. “The only reason I see for delaying is that you're going to get your money anyway,” he declared. “You can't fool all of the people all of the time. If property values are going down across the country, rescinding this is a joke. You're not giving people anything.”

Buncombe isn't the only Western North Carolina county to take this step. Watauga and Haywood counties have also delayed their revaluations.

Waste not want not

Buncombe County's Solid Waste Services Department also came forward to discuss planned improvements and the need to increase the monthly trash-hauling fee to about $14.70.

“We need this to break even: to service our debt and keep the county's good credit rating,” Landfill Manager Jerry Mears explained. “Our expenditures have to meet our revenues. A lot of counties are much higher … than we are. We're under a majority of counties across the state.”

Other county staff confirmed that such an increase would be necessary to continue servicing the department's debt.

A presentation by Waste Engineer Mark Sanford touted increased recycling, a new drainage system that has extended the landfill's life by more than a decade, and a planned project to harness methane gas from the landfill to generate energy.

Just a phone call away

The commissioners also heard a report from the administrators of United Way's 211 phone line, which steers callers to a variety of social services and has seen a substantial increase in the number of calls.

“The face of the person who is asking for help is changing – these are people that haven't had to ask for help before,” 211 Director Rachael Nygaard of United Way told the board. “It's tough; people are struggling. Our call volume is up 12 percent. People are asking for help for the first time, and they're in bigger crises, with more complex situations. The length of the call and the number of needs they have are both up.”

Many people, she explained, need help paying rent and utility bills, and 211 quickly connects them to the right agency — a process that otherwise typically involves seven separate phone calls.

SHARE

Thanks for reading through to the end…

We share your inclination to get the whole story. For the past 25 years, Xpress has been committed to in-depth, balanced reporting about the greater Asheville area. We want everyone to have access to our stories. That’s a big part of why we've never charged for the paper or put up a paywall.

We’re pretty sure that you know journalism faces big challenges these days. Advertising no longer pays the whole cost. Media outlets around the country are asking their readers to chip in. Xpress needs help, too. We hope you’ll consider signing up to be a member of Xpress. For as little as $5 a month — the cost of a craft beer or kombucha — you can help keep local journalism strong. It only takes a moment.

Before you comment

The comments section is here to provide a platform for civil dialogue on the issues we face together as a local community. Xpress is committed to offering this platform for all voices, but when the tone of the discussion gets nasty or strays off topic, we believe many people choose not to participate. Xpress editors are determined to moderate comments to ensure a constructive interchange is maintained. All comments judged not to be in keeping with the spirit of civil discourse will be removed and repeat violators will be banned. See here for our terms of service. Thank you for being part of this effort to promote respectful discussion.

2 thoughts on “Buncombe Commissioners: No relief?

  1. jeff turner

    I urge each and every Buncombe County resident to converge on the tax assessors office and request a new evaluation of your properties,, They are just trying to keep the inflated prices to cover their buddies from losing those high paying county jobs,,, They didnt do nothing in other words,except look out for themselves,,please for the love of God and county,vote those people out We need representatives,not pawns for the state,,, I’ll be the grover now go out and get your re-evaluation….demand,it, I believe in my opinion that,,the numbers are incorrect and they,the commissioners are very aware of it, Thats why they put it off for 4 years,, Your rate would probably go down,,, They just dont have a solution, They didnt even fire or let anyone go,,,, They juggled the paperwork,,and moved people around,,,, That is not leadership,, We can not afford you high dollar county employees any longer,,, If you dont go get re-evaluated,your probably being ripped off by the county,,, Hey I call it as I see it,, Jeff Turners opinion only,,,Gotta have my disclaimer,
    .JEFF TURNER,BUNCOMBE SOIL AND WATER CONSERVATION DISTRICT

  2. LOKEL

    The Citizen-Times is reporting (again) today, that local home prices fell 18% in April when compared to a year ago ….. go demand a reevaluation today!

Leave a Reply

To leave a reply you may Login with your Mountain Xpress account, connect socially or enter your name and e-mail. Your e-mail address will not be published. All fields are required.