At the February 3rd meeting, the Alexander County Board of Commissioners approved a resolution to move to a four-year property revaluation cycle, as presented by County Manager Todd Herms. Prior to this change, Alexander County utilized an eight-year cycle with the next revaluation scheduled for 2031.
Herms said the new cycle will result in a revaluation which will take effect on January 1, 2027. In North Carolina, there are 51 counties with a four-year cycle, five counties with a five-year cycle, 10 with a six-year cycle, two with a seven-year cycle, and 32 with an eight-year cycle.
“For most families, their number one investment is their home. Over an eight-year cycle, that can be a shock when we do the revaluation, but a four-year cycle can lessen the blow,” said Herms.
On average, North Carolina counties with a four-year revaluation cycle have lower property tax rates than those with an eight-year cycle (57 cents vs. 71 cents).
Herms said an eight-year revaluation would cost almost $900,000 to complete, while a four-year revaluation would cost approximately $300,000. He said moving to a four-year cycle would result in more staff time, but less contracted costs.
“I’m not advocating that people pay more taxes, I’m just advocating that we be as accurate on our tax revaluation as possible so we can set a proper tax rate across the board,” said Herms. “It’s important to do this to provide financial stability and long-term planning for the county. By doing it more often, you have a better and clearer picture of the trajectory of your tax base.”
Vice Chairman Larry Yoder agreed. “I think doing a revaluation every four years will be so much better for our citizens.”
In other business:
• Keri Jerrell, Social Services Director, presented information about the Special Children Adoption Incentive Fund (SCAIF), which is a state program that supports the adoption of children with special needs. The program is designed to promote permanent placements for hard-to-place foster children who are eligible for adoption. Jerrell said that approximately one-third of the counties in North Carolina participate in the SCAIF program. To be eligible, the child’s needs and daily supervision requirements must meet an exceptional level of care.
Jerrell said the SCAIF program is funded by the state (50 percent) and the county (50 percent), and covers expenses such as medical care, therapy, education, and more. Funding payments would continue until the child reaches age 18.
“In Alexander County, we have a decrease in foster homes and no therapeutic foster homes, and the SCAIF program could help with that,” said Jerrell. “We currently have 52 children in foster care, and we estimate that about 10 of those children would qualify for the program.”
During the public comment period, two speakers advocated for the SCAIF program. Paul Kelly said he is a local foster parent who has had a child in their care for 16 months and decided to adopt; however, the child has significant special needs. He believes the program would be a worthwhile expenditure for the county to support foster children with special needs.
Tennille Hileman with the Guardian ad Litem program said she works with multiple children with special needs, and finances are a barrier to foster care and adoption. She said if the SCAIF program was implemented, it would result in more foster and adoptive parents which would allow DSS staff to work more efficiently.
Jerrell’s presentation was for informational purposes only at this time. Commissioners will consider the SCAIF program at a later date.
• During public comment, Don and Marie Taylor provided updates on their plan for the incorporation of Bethlehem. He said they are in the final stages and plan to submit the paperwork to the state in the next few weeks.
• County Manager Herms presented two budget amendments for approval. The first amendment increases the Health Department and Social Services budgets for grant funds. The second amendment accounts for the de-obligation of $40,000 of state grant funds for the Hancock & Moore building renovation project, due to circumstances that prevented the company from meeting all of the grant requirements.
The next meeting of the Alexander County Board of Commissioners is set for Monday, March 10 at 6:00 p.m. at the CVCC Alexander Center for Education (room #103). Regular meetings are recorded and can be viewed on the county’s Government Channel on Spectrum channel 192 or the county’s YouTube channel at www.youtube.com/alexandercountync. Meeting agendas, minutes, videos, and more are available on the county’s website at https://alexandercountync.gov/commissioners.