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Resident raises legal concerns about county tax assessor certification and 2023 reappointment
Summary
During public comment, resident Earl Daniels urged the Northampton County Board of Commissioners to investigate whether the county's acting tax assessor met North Carolina certification requirements and warned that assessments after July 2023 could be legally questionable if certification is lacking.
A resident told the Northampton County Board of Commissioners on June 16 that the county's acting tax assessor may not have completed state-required certification and urged the board to act.
Earl Daniels said the county's tax assessor was hired in July 2021 and that, according to a Department of Revenue listing he reviewed, the assessor is shown as an acting assessor. Daniels cited North Carolina law and Department of Revenue certification rules while urging the board to verify whether the assessor met the two-year certification requirement. He said, as read into the record, that "any person who fails to qualify within 2 years after the date of the initial appointment shall not be eligible for reappointment" and that the Department of Revenue requires course instruction followed by a comprehensive examination.
Daniels told the board that if the acting assessor did not achieve required certification within the two-year period, "I can question the validity and the legality of the decision she made regarding assessment of county properties after July 2023." He recommended the board take immediate action to rectify the situation if certification documentation cannot be produced.
The statement cited multiple passages of statute and Department of Revenue rules as presented by the speaker; the board did not take an immediate formal action on the allegation during the meeting. County officials present acknowledged the comment and continued to the next agenda item.
Ending: The board did not announce any immediate follow-up action on the public comment during the meeting; the public comment will be part of the meeting record and county staff may be expected to review and respond in future minutes or communications.
