From the Charlotte Observer, explaining why the city is suddenly surprised that property tax base is taking a significant hit:

Mecklenburg County Tax Assessor Ken Joyner told a Charlotte City Council committee that Pearson [Appraisal Services] had first examined property that appeared least problematic. Because the early properties examined didn’t change much in value, Pearson had estimated the total drop in taxable value would be about 1/2 percent.

When the revaluation was finished, there was a 2.2 percent drop in taxable value – a dip that has played havoc with the city’s budget.

The reason, Joyner said, is that Pearson waited until the end of the project to review commercial property that was expected to have large swings in value.

“The most difficult (properties) were still to come,” Joyner said.

 Cute. Not so sure Joyner isn’t playing the pass the blame game here. As county tax assessor, he should have had a very good idea of what Pearson was doing, and certainly what properties had been reviewed. That there was risk with the commercial properties at the end should have been obvious to him, and something that he should have communicated much earlier to the city and county.