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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2017-01-05 Agenda Review NEW HANOVER COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS BOOK 33 AGENDA REVIEW MEETING, JANUARY 5, 2017 PAGE 660 ASSEMBLY The New Hanover County Board of Commissioners met for Agenda Review on Thursday, January 5, 2017 at 4:00 p.m. in the Harrell Conference Room at the New Hanover County Government Center, 230 Government Center Drive, Wilmington, North Carolina. Members present: Chairman Woody White; Commissioner Jonathan Barfield, Jr.; Commissioner Patricia Kusek; and Commissioner Rob Zapple. Vice-Chairman Skip Watkins was absent. Staff present: County Manager Chris Coudriet; County Attorney Wanda Copley; and Clerk to the Board Kymberleigh G. Crowell. Chairman White called the Agenda Review meeting to order and announced that the purpose of the meeting is to review and discuss the agenda items for the January 9, 2017 Regular Meeting with discussions as noted: Consent Item 2. Approval of Appointments of Commissioners to Various Boards and Committees. Chairman White led the Board in the discussion of Commissioner appointments to various boards and committees for 2017, with the Board having consensus on the appointments. The appointment sheet will be updated and disbursed to the Board for Monday’s vote. Regular Item 5. Consideration of a Resolution of Appreciation to the Board of Elections, Director, and Staff. Commissioner Zapple will read the resolution into the record. Regular Item 6. Public Hearing. Rezoning Request (Z-959M, 12/16) – Request by H+W Design on Behalf of the Property Owner, Raleigh Wilmington Investors, LLC, to Rezone 20.7 Acres Located at the 2300 & 2400 block of Middle Sound Loop Road from (CZD) R-20, Conditional Residential Zoning District, and R- 20S, Residential Zoning District, to (CZD) R-20, Conditional Residential Zoning District, in Order to Develop a Performance Residential Development. In response to Board questions, Current Planner Brad Schuler explained this zoning district allows performance residential development which allows for smaller lot sizes and more open space. The subdivision plat included in the agenda packets shows the proposed open space and the slide presentation for Monday’s meeting includes the information. Staff Updates: Property Tax Revaluation Update County Manager Coudriet asked Tax Administrator Allison Snell to present the update on the 2017 Property Tax Revaluation as follows:  Revaluation Review:  September 2013 began the full list and measure:  Measuring from outside corner to outside corner  Taking pictures of residential/commercial structures  Verifying/updating details that are currently on the property tax cards  Not everyone is home:  Appraisers leave door hangers  Mailing of Property Tax Questionnaires:  2016: 81,374 mailed; 5,400 responded (6%)  2017: 89,788 mailed; 2,000 responded (2%)  Issues: Square footage, bed/bath count, fireplace gas/wood, story height  Where we are:  Residential review: 95% complete; Start: 3/2016; End: 1/2017  Commercial Review: 95% complete; Start: 6/2016; End: 1/2017  Industrial review: 95% complete; Start: 6/2016; End: 1/2017  Effective date of reappraisal: January 1, 2017  “Notice of Value” mail out: February 2017  Informal hearings: February 2017 - March 2017  Board of Equalization and Review hearings begin April 2017  What we are seeing: 2016/2017 - Current Year 2017/2018 Real Property 26,327,032,860 28,038,289,995 6.10% -250,000,000 Appeals/Exemptions (Est.) (Per 2016-2017 Quarterly) 27,788,289,995 Personal Property 217,324,794 217,324,794 Business Personal Property 1,360,660,191 1,360,660,191 Motor Vehicles 1,895,500,000 1,895,500,000 State Appraised 640,009,431 638,000,000 30,440,527,276 31,899,744,980 4.58%  These numbers are preliminary, are not final and are subject to change  Motor Vehicle value is estimated value for current year as it’s not billed all at once like the others In response to Board questions, Tax Administrator Snell stated that the Tax Department does not have the same access as in the past to the Board of Realtors’ Multiple Listing Service (MLS) database. The information is NEW HANOVER COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS BOOK 33 AGENDA REVIEW MEETING, JANUARY 5, 2017 PAGE 661 provided as a spreadsheet document showing residential and commercial sales for the month. The same information included in the MLS listings is included in the spreadsheet. The $28 billion increase for real property is due to an increase in both organic growth and property values. There is a lot of new construction in personal and commercial property. Ms. Snell re-emphasized that this information is preliminary and subject to change. The State appraised property decrease reflects a business that closed and it is an estimated dollar amount. Ms. Snell then provided an overview of the taxable value comparison chart:  Taxable Value Comparison: 2007 2012 2017 Est. Real 29,071,789,319 24,960,307,036 27,788,289,995 Personal 1,946,705,726 2,277,505,916 2,215,984,985 Motor Vehicle 1,706,890,182 1,641,874,655 1,895,500,000 Total Base 32,725,385,227 28,879,687,607 31,899,744,980 County Manager Coudriet noted that there was a $5 billion decrease in the taxable base between 2007 to 2012. In 2007, the County had a $34 billion base and after revaluation it decreased to $28.8 billion in 2012. This resulted in an approximately fifteen percent decrease in the tax base. 2012 was the first time in the County’s history where the revenue neutral was a rate up instead of a rate down. In response to Board questions, Tax Administrator Snell explained that she feels the ninety-nine percent collection rate will be able to be maintained due to the very strong Tax Department Collections team. The goal is to collect as much as possible and staff has a drive and desire to work to achieve this goal. She commended the Tax Department staff for their hard work. In regard to the informal dispute resolution process, Ms. Snell explained that each taxpayer who files an appeal will be contacted by staff for an in-depth discussion about what exactly is being appealed and why, and if necessary there will be another site visit. Chairman White thanked Ms. Snell for her presentation. ADJOURNMENT There being no further business, Chairman White adjourned the meeting at 4:20 p.m. Respectfully submitted, Kymberleigh G. Crowell Clerk to the Board Please note that the above minutes are not a verbatim of the New Hanover County Board of Commissioners meeting.