Tagged: 2011 Property Tax Revaluation

Mecklenburg County residents who've paid too much property tax these last few years because of the botched 2011 revaluation will get refunds . . . eventually. But legislation unveiled today to fix the problems also would result in a bill for back taxes for property that was undervalued.

Cornelius homeowner Bob Deaton expects to get a refund. He and his neighbors were the first to organize against the 2011 Mecklenburg County property revaluation as soon as they got their new tax bills two years ago.

The Mecklenburg County Commission stopped short of ordering a complete re-do of the 2011 Property Tax Revaluation, but they took enough steps to satisfy some critics – for now. 

The immediate winner in all of this is Pearson's Appraisal Service. The firm was hired by the county to do a $250,000 four-month review of the 2011 Revaluation. Now it's been tasked with fixing the problems it found – which will likely take another year and earn the firm several times its original fee.

The tax assessor who oversaw Mecklenburg County's much-maligned 2011 revaluation is out. County Commissioners announced Tuesday night that assessor Garrett Alexander has resigned, but they put off a final decision on how to handle problems with the revaluation. 

It was an awkward night for County Manager Harry Jones. Eight months ago he was adamant the revaluation did not need reexamining.

A growing chorus of Mecklenburg County citizens and elected officials is calling for a complete re-do of the 2011 property tax revaluation. The independent review completed last week found most of the new property values are accurate. But values in a small percentage of neighborhoods – perhaps 10 percent – are significantly out-of-whack, according to the report. 

So now what? The Mecklenburg County commission meets Tuesday night at 6 p.m. to discuss.

How Mecklenburg County responds to complaints about flaws in the 2011 property revaluation is now up to county commissioners. An outside consultant who reviewed the revaluation delivered a final report to the county Friday, and it’s on the agenda for Tuesday’s County Commission meeting.