News

Property values likely to jump by 10%

: County commissioners on Monday honored retiring Henderson County Construction Project Manager David Berry with a resolution of appreciation.

By Amy McCraw, Published: August 3, 2022

  Saying he wanted to begin preparing Henderson County citizens, County Manager John Mitchell told commissioners Monday evening that he expects property values in the county to increase by more than 10 percent once the ongoing revaluation process is complete.

Mitchell specifically addressed members of the media when he updated the Henderson County Board of Commissioners on the property revaluation during the board’s regular monthly meeting.
“I want to be sure citizens are aware the revaluation for property taxes is going on this year,” he said.
The county’s tax office is scheduled to update commissioners in mid-August on what it is seeing in terms of the revaluation.
Mitchell said inflation and the increased value of homes in the county will likely lead to property values higher than 10 percent of their current value.
Commissioners will need to decide whether to lower the county’s tax rate in response to the jump in property values, he said after the meeting.
“The board will react appropriately as this appraisal unfolds,” he said. “This is going on across the state.”
Commissioner Michael Edney, also speaking after the meeting as commissioners headed toward a closed session, said the county traditionally takes increases in property values into account when it sets the property tax rate.
“Historically, we have lowered the rate during every revaluation when the value of the county increases,” he said.
Mitchell urged commissioners during budget discussions in May to adopt a tax rate of 56.1 cents per $100 valuation while board Chair Bill Lapsley proposed to lower the rate by 2 cents, based on the county's history of building up enough in fund balance to cover any gap between expenses and revenue.
North Carolina law requires counties to reappraise all real property at least once every eight years and allows them to reappraise land every four years, which Henderson County historically has chosen to do. Real property includes land, buildings, structures and improvements. The last reappraisal was conducted in 2019, with the next reappraisal becoming effective Jan. 1, 2023. Property owners’ tax bills later in the year will be based on the new values.
In other business, commissioners:
• Voted unanimously on four legislative goals they wanted to submit to the North Carolina Association of County Commissioners for consideration. Those goals include providing supplemental pay for childcare workers, increasing the availability of four-year-old kindergarten to all interested parents, increasing the high school dropout age from 16 to 17 and providing more and better mental health facilities.
• Adopted a Resolution of Appreciation for Henderson County Construction Project Manager David Berry. Berry retirse from the construction management job on Friday. Berry began his career with the county in 2010. “Under his tenure, the Henderson County Board of Commissioners has partnered, funded, constructed and completed several projects. Notably, the Innovative High School, the Health Science Center, Edneyville Elementary School, Hendersonville High School, the Patton Building and the Thomas H. Thompson Emergency Services building,” according to the resolution. “David Berry’s determination and knowledge caused these projects to come in ‘on time and under budget.’” Berry thanked the commissioners, saying he was just doing his job as part of a great team.