Wayne County tax officials explain reappraisal, set May 20 cutoff for appeals

Wayne County tax officials on April 15 described a recent countywide property reappraisal, outlined how residents can appeal new values and set a May 20 deadline for formal appeals to the Board of Equalization and Review.

Tax Administrator Alan Lumpkin told the Wayne County Board of Commissioners that notices from the revaluation were mailed roughly three weeks earlier and that county staff have been fielding calls from residents. He said informal appeals so far are "roughly around 380," which he described as low compared with some past revaluations, and that those informal reviews remain open through the current appeal period. The board voted to adjourn the Board of Equalization and Review and to set May 20 as the cutoff date for accepting appeals to allow staff time to process informal reviews and prepare hearings.

Why it matters: The revaluation updates assessed values used to compute property taxes. Lumpkin and the board emphasized that an increase in assessed value does not automatically mean a higher tax bill because elected officials can and will review tax rates during the budget process to offset increases in assessed…