Residents protest taxes

More than 200 mainly white-haired residents crowded a county meeting Tuesday to protest the prospect of higher taxes.

But officials say it's too late.

Residents are asking county commissioners to throw out the county's latest property valuations which increased by an average of 22 percent since last evaluated in 2005 and take another shot.

And many are challenging County Attorney Geoff Gledhill's assertion that the county has missed its Jan. 1 deadline to legally call for a do-over.

Thomas Harrington an Eden attorney wrote in a letter to commissioners that the county is free to retry its valuations.

Harrington said the county is only required to meet state laws which require a new valuation by 2013 eight years after the last assessment.

Orange County revalues residents' property every four years to adjust taxes to market values. The most recent values released at the end of last year" have prompted organized protests from residents who say the valuations don't correspond to housing market conditions.

""Nobody saw the economy taking the turn that it's taken" but now citizens of Orange County are suffering" said Tom Whisnant, a resident who spoke on behalf of many involved in the protest.

It's not a coincidence that thousands of people are showing up to these meetings.""

Orange County would not be the only county in North Carolina to throw out its latest valuations at the behest of its residents.

Rockingham County commissioners unanimously voted to throw out their most recent property assessment last month after about 800 county residents protested at meetings.

Rockingham residents' property will return to its previous value until a new valuation is completed before 2011.

Many residents at Tuesday's meeting said the new values unfairly burden county residents coping with a nationwide recession.

The county has not released a tax rate for the next fiscal year and won't begin to draft a budget until next month. Some commissioners have suggested the county keep a revenue-neutral tax rate or lower taxes to compensate for the higher valuations.

But even if they take this step" taxes could go up significantly for residents whose property revaluation increased by more than the average.

Orange County homes' average sale prices have been steadily declining since the market peaked two years ago. The average price of an Orange County house was $50"000 less in January 2009 than it was in the same month in 2007.

""Every homeowner who feels that they have been wronged by this evaluation needs to be heard"" resident and real estate broker Michael Strayhorn told commissioners.

I don't care if you have to meet every night of the week.""

More than 200 residents were let into the commissioners meeting and hundreds of others were turned away at the door.

A local chapter of Freedom Works — a national anti-tax organization led by former U.S. House Majority Leader Dick Armey — helped organized what's being called the ""Orange County Tax Revolt.""

Residents can appeal their new property values before April 1.

If they miss this deadline" residents can apply to a special county board.

Doug Shackelford a UNC tax scholar said resistance to new taxes is the norm" especially in the U.S.

""Protesting about taxes is a foundation in American history"" he said. We're pretty experienced in that.""



Contact the City Editor at citydesk@unc.edu.