Union County Board of Equalization upholds most valuations, grants shape adjustment and several late-filing appeals

The Union County Board of Equalization and Review met to hear property-tax appeals and application disputes and left most assessed values intact while granting targeted relief and accepting several late filings.

Taxpayers presented appeals on lakefront and vacant land valuations, untimely exemption applications and a discovery bill. Laura Varela, a taxpayer who owns a Lake Monroe lot, told the board she purchased her home in 2021 for $480,000 and said the property’s assessed value rose from $513,000 to $840,000 under the county’s 2025 revaluation. "We purchased the property in 2021, for 480,000," Varela said during her hearing. County staff responded that waterfront comparables are limited and that their selected waterfront sales support the county’s valuation.

The board voted to accept the county’s valuation for the Varela property, leaving the assessed value unchanged. The motion to accept the county's valuation was made and seconded during deliberations; the board recorded the motion as approved and directed the county to notify the taxpayers of the board’s decision in writing as required by statute.

On a separate appeal for a long, narrow vacant parcel in the Weddington area, represented at the hearing by Greg Musen, the board discussed whether the county’s rural-per-acre approach produced equitable results given the lot’s irregular shape and the presence of nearby multifamily/rental properties. County staff explained the parcel was being valued on rural per-acre comparables because it is not in a platted subdivision…