John,

Congrats on a successful endeavor in Charlotte. However, I have a follow-up question that is often overlooked in media reports about prop. tax rates. Does the City of Charlotte plan on doing a property re-valuation this year?

If the tax rate stays the same but the property values go up – the residents will end up paying more in taxes. That is what’s happening in Buncombe County, where I live. The County Commission went on bragging about holding the tax rate steady but failed to mention that a tax-reval is scheduled for county residents this year.

Some area residents here may see a MAJOR increase in their tax bill this fall. For the residents to pay the same amount in property taxes – the property tax rate would actually have to come DOWN.

Food for thought… What if we pushed for legislation that capped property tax rate growth to the rate of inflation in NC? Or some other form of legislation that protected the property owners of NC? (Rather than city by city, county by county – battles over tax rates every budget cycle.) Many other states have taken such steps, with great success.