Tax administrator reports $3.38 million delinquent; appraiser outlines 2024 market trends and data-audit results

Craven County Tax Administrator Leslie Young told the Board of Commissioners that, as of the meeting, delinquent taxes for tax year 2024 totaled $3,375,861.43 with a collection rate of 94.36%. Young compared that to the 2023 delinquent total of $2,045,130.97 (collection rate 96.18%) and explained the difference reflects a small number of larger delinquent accounts and a brief mailing delay after recent snowstorms.

Young asked the board to order advertising of the delinquent-tax list in the New Bern Sun Journal, as required by statute she cited, and said payment must be received by 5:00 p.m. on Monday, March 31 to avoid publication. The board moved, seconded and approved the request; a roll call recorded all present commissioners voting in favor.

Chief Appraiser Justin Deese presented results of a North Carolina Department of Revenue random-sample review of county appraisal data and described 2024 residential and land sales trends the appraisal division is tracking ahead of the county’s next revaluation. Deese said the county had 42,553 improved parcels at the time of sampling and the Department of Revenue’s random sample included 446 parcels.

Deese compared the county’s accuracy rates to the Department of Revenue’s minimum standards. The county exceeded each standard he listed: square-footage accuracy 96.41% (minimum 95%), objective-data accuracy 98.5% (minimum 95%), and subjective-data accuracy 98.37% (minimum 90%). Deese called the results a “report card” showing historically consistent data quality in the appraisal division.

Deese also reviewed notable 2023–24 land sales by township and per-acre figures (examples presented by Deese): a 21.85-acre sale on Highway 43 at $167,500 ($7,666/acre); a 12.6-acre sale on Willis Road at $160,000 ($12,698/acre); a 12.86-acre sale on Southwest Craven Middle School Road at $100,000 ($7,776/acre); and other tracts selling in late 2023–2024 ranging roughly $7,000–$12,700 per acre depending on location and parcel size. He noted 57 residential sales in 2024 sold for $700,000 or more, up from 36 in 2023, and said those upper-end transactions are meaningful indicators of market confidence going into the next revaluation.

Deese said the appraisal division will continue monitoring sales through the lead-up to the county’s revaluation effective date (noted by staff as Feb. 19, 2028) and will analyze geographic and parcel-size impacts on valuation.

Ending: The board authorized the tax administrator to advertise delinquent-tax lists and asked appraisal staff to continue monitoring market activity and report as the revaluation date approaches.