Hey y’all.

I’m writing to put out a call for expert help, and also share some basics for folks who could use a refresher on property revaluations. I’ll close with some info on the budget.

Call for volunteers

If you have real estate, law, land use, or other housing policy experience, and are comfortable attending training to build a case for a revaluation appeal for an elderly neighbor, the Marian Cheek Jackson Center could use your help. Read more about that from Triangle Blog Blog.

Recap: County-wide property reval & Town budget

Property Revaluation basics

If you prefer watching a video presentation from an expert rather than reading an email from one of your friendly members of Carrboro Town Council, I have good news! On March 18th, we got a presentation from Nancy Freeman, the Director of the Orange County NC tax office at our Town Council meeting. You can watch the whole presentation on YouTube starting here (timestamped link): https://www.youtube.com/live/g929rXk1zLM?t=4381s.

And if you want to watch the budget outlook presentation from Carrboro's CFO, that starts earlier in the meeting (also a timestamped link): https://www.youtube.com/live/g929rXk1zLM?t=3695s

For the folks who would rather have my typed thoughts, or who want more after watching the above, read on.

Folks who own real property (eg. a house) in Orange County will have gotten a notice of revaluation in the mail, and the significant jump in property values over the last four years will be very obvious in that letter, which leaves many folks looking for answers, and sometimes they find themselves off track, so let’s start with a recap of the basics.

Under NC law, the County is the collector of the taxes, and the entity that assesses property values at least once every eight (8) years. Orange County does revaluation on a four (4) year cycle. If you want to hear more detail directly from the County and ask questions in person, they are holding public information sessions at the following dates, times, and locations:

• April 10, 1 p.m. - 4 p.m. at Passmore Center, 103 Meadowlands Dr, Hillsborough

• April 15, 7 p.m. at Schley Grange Hall, 3416 Schley Rd., Hillsborough

• April 16, 6 p.m. at Chapel Hill Town Council, Council Chamber, 405 Martin Luther

  King Jr. Blvd, Chapel Hill

• April 26, 9 a.m. - 12 p.m. at Lee's Chapel Missionary Baptist Church, 3604 Lee's 
  Chapel Rd., Cedar Grove (Outreach with DSS)

Please accept my apology for not getting this info out to y'all sooner, since there was a presentation this very morning at the Seymour Center. It's been very busy these past few weeks; I'll do my best to be more timely with distributing information moving forward.

Please also know that I am very aware of the many stressors impacting many of us. My work brings me into contact with many folks working on grants funded by the federal government, and I personally know folks who have lost work. I'm keenly aware that folks are experiencing financial and other stresses. The actions at the federal level are unconscionable, and area already doing lasting or even permanent harm.

Carrboro’s Budget

In light of federal actions and the likely recessionary pressure here, there is a strong consensus on Council that we (Carrboro) need to act as a stopgap and increase our allocation for affordable housing. We need to use this as an opportunity to make capital improvements that will allow us to spend less on maintenance and fully staff the town departments, such as Planning and Zoning, where we are currently experiencing a staffing shortage. And we need to use this opportunity to invest in a climate-friendly future, so that when funding is available again, we have shovel-ready projects. I say this as a preface to the part of this revaluation cycle that Carrboro Town Council does have responsibility for: the municipal tax rate.

After revaluation letters go out, the county supplies the town with a "revenue neutral rate," ie. a tax rate which, if adopted, would result in the same revenue being generated from property taxes from the old valuation to the new. The town has now received that, however the town cannot both adopt that rate and deliver its services as it currently does (thanks, inflation), much less act as a stopgap to help keep our most vulnerable residents sheltered.

Budget conversations are ongoing. We had a work session last night (Tuesday the 8th of April), and we will have more, including a presentation by the manager in May, and two public hearings before final adoption of the 2025-2026 budget. Our fiscal year runs from July 1 2025 to June 30 2026.

Our budget is how we express our values

Carrboro is a town that is loud and proud about its values. Our budget can and should be a reflection of our inclusivity, our progressivism, and our commitment to climate action. Our comprehensive plan has twin pillars of race and equity on the one hand and climate action on the other.

I’m honored to be able to serve on this Town Council, and I’m so grateful that so many of my neighbors, despite the stress, are eager to shoulder the burden of helping those less fortunate than themselves.

Y'all are always welcome to reach out to me with any questions or concerns. You can of course reply to me via email, but you can also find contact information for me on the town website.