Wayne County tax office warns revaluation could show 45–60 percent market-value increases; appeals and exemptions ahead

A Wayne County tax office representative told the Goldsboro City Council that preliminary results of the countywide revaluation show an average increase in market value “probably between 45 and 60 percent.” The tax office said it plans to send value-change notices to all property owners in February and will process appeals and exemptions before finalizing amounts that could affect tax bills later this year.

The tax office representative said the revaluation reflects market activity and is “strictly our job” to place values, while elected bodies set tax rates. “The value times the rate gives us that tax bill that people associate,” the representative said, adding that the office will try to educate residents about the distinction between value and tax rate.

Why it matters: a large increase in assessed market values can raise tax bills if taxing authorities do not lower the tax…