BY KARISSA MILLER
Iredell County officials have begun preliminary work on the county budget for fiscal year 2023-2024, but they will have to wait on the outcome of property revaluation appeals before knowing how much the county’s tax base has grown.
“We have said that countywide we are looking at a 30 percent increase,” County Manager Beth Mull said Friday during the Board of Commissioners’ winter planning retreat.
County commissioners, who have begun hearing calls from property owners to lower the tax rate, will not make a decision on the tax rate until later this spring. Property taxes typically fund 60 percent of the county budget.
County Finance Director Deb Cheek said sales tax revenues are expected to increase by 7 percent to $46.6 million.
On the expense side, commissioners will consider several funding commitments and requests during budget season:
• For education funding, the average per pupil cost will increase from $2,056 to $2,223. The county is estimating a 1.5 percent increase in enrollment based on current trends.
• The county manager is proposing a 5 percent salary scale adjustment for county employees in July, which would cost $3.5 million, or a 3 percent increase in July and 2 percent in January 2024, which would cost $2.8 million.
• Emergency Communications is requesting a new Computer Aided Dispatch system that would cost an estimated $4.5 million. Some of this cost would be offset by outside funding. The Sheriff’s Office is requesting $1.2 million to replace emergency radios.
• Department heads have requested funding for 48 new full-time positions, three new part-time positions and the reclassification of 61 positions. The total salary and fringe benefits are estimated to cost $3.3 million, although Mull told the board she will fully vet the requests before making a final request to the commissioners.
• The county is also budgeting for some larger capital projects, including Jennings Park and a new Health Department building. Commissioners directed staff to get a bid on Jennings Park during the retreat.
• County officials have also requested that the Iredell-Statesville Schools Board of Education submit a formal capital funding request for the cost of Weathers Creek High School.
The board will delve deeper into these priorities after they have more information about how much revenue the reappraisal will generate.
Reappraisal Information
The county manager said county administrators won’t have a firm estimate on countywide property reappraisal values until all appeals are filed and the appeals considered.
Residents have 30 days to file an appeal from the date on their reappraisal notice from the Iredell County Tax Administration office.
Mull said she will give the board her first projections on March 2.
“We typically provide initial notice estimates … to the municipalities in March. We’re sticking with that schedule,” she said.
The reappraisal process, she said, is a “highly prescribed process” that is required by law and regulated through the N.C. Department of Revenue.
State law requires counties to reappraise all real property every eight years, but also allows counties to have a shorter cycle.
Iredell County operates on a four-year cycle. Tax officials explained that operating on an eight-year cycle can create more opportunities for inequities to grow and usually leads to a much larger and unpredictable change to property values.
Officials said the new value should accurately reflect the current, fair market value of property as of January 1, 2023.
Final tax bills will not be mailed until August, officials stated.
Iredell County Tax Collector Bill Furches and Tax Assessor Fran Elliot attended the retreat to answer questions and update the board on the number of appeals.
As of February 16, Elliot’s office has received 930 appeals out of 101,500 parcels. By comparison, Catawba County has received around 2,200 appeals with around 80,000 parcels.
The tax bill amount and inability to pay your bill is not a reason for an appeal, officials stated. Residents must provide a valid reason the value is incorrect. Some examples, include the wrong square footage or number of bedrooms in a house.
Chair Melissa Neader asked if there are payment option for citizens.
Furches said that there isn’t but that some residents start coming in January and making payments. When tax bills go out in August, those payments are applied to the account.
One misconception among property owners is that residential property can be taxed differently than industrial property.
“North Carolina has a uniformity clause that means all property must be taxed at the same level,” Furches said.
Furches encourages residents to drop by or call the assessors office if they have any concerns about how their parcels were assessed. The phone number is 704-878-5368.
For residents who are comfortable with navigating the county’s website, it contains information about the reappraisal, appeals process and how to access the county’s tax calculator tool. Visit https://www.iredellcountync.gov/CivicAlerts.aspx?AID=1323.