Tax revaluation tops Rockingham commissioners' agenda

Tuesday's meeting of the Rockingham County Commissioners will begin with a public hearing on the proposed 2009 schedules, standards and rules for appraising real property in the county.
North Carolina counties are required by state law to conduct revaluations of all properties within their borders at least every eight years. Rockingham County’s last revaluation was in 2003.
County Manager Tom Robinson said the county normally has a four-year cycle for revaluations, but circumstances delayed the last scheduled appraisals.
“The ratio of sales to assessed values at that time was staying above 90 percent,” Robinson said. “We didn’t see any need to go through a revaluation when there was no substantial difference there.”
Robinson said the tax administrator during that period had some health problems and a revaluation would have overburdened the tax department’s staff.
Regarding the upcoming revaluation, Robinson said raw land values have risen across the county, but housing values have remained flat and even decreased in some areas.
“I would expect the highest increases to come from land values, rather than home values,” he said.
The public hearing will be the only one on revaluation. Residents who feel their new tax valuations are incorrect can appeal. Robinson said the county’s appeals have always been minor.
“I think our staff works very well with people that have problems with the revaluations and that’s helped us reduce the number of questions that move on to the board of appeals or the state,” he said.
The commissioners will also discuss some upcoming funding issues.
Robinson will ask the board to approve a proposed funding agreement between the county, the Rockingham County Public Library and the municipalities of Madison and Mayodan. The arrangement proposed by the Library Oversight Committee calls for the library board of directors and Friends of the Library to raise 50 percent of the anticipated $2.25 million required for the new facility. The county and two municipalities would fund the remainder, with the county matching the combined funds provided by Madison and Mayodan.
The library groups have already approved their part of the plan, and the Mayodan Town Council was set to take up the issue Monday evening. Madison’s town board will discuss their part in the agreement Thursday at 7 p.m.
The commissioners will also discuss the county’s funding commitment for a new animal shelter. Discussion of the funding opportunity follows the board’s approval of the structure’s design recommended by the advisory committee and the establishment of a budget and timeline for construction. The meeting begins at 6:30 p.m. in the governmental center in Wentworth.

News Editor Steve Lawson can be reached at slawson@reidsvillereview.com or at 548-6047.