Alleghany County commissioners deny late farm-classification request for parcels linked to Peggy Blevins

Alleghany County commissioners voted 3-2 to deny a late present-use value application for two tracts a representative said are part of landowner Peggy Blevins’ farm.

Rita Miller introduced the request and read the statutory standard for late applications, which the transcript records as “statute 1 0 5 2 77.4, section a 1,” describing circumstances under which a board may approve an untimely application and the right to appeal decisions to the property tax commission. She then turned the presentation to the applicant’s representative.

A man identifying himself in the record as “Brett Jared” said he was speaking on behalf of Peggy Blevins and asked the board to include two tracts used for raising cattle and hay in her farm classification and to defer taxes beginning in 2025. He acknowledged the application was untimely and said the parcels are used for agricultural purposes, urging the board to apply the same treatment given to an earlier, similar request.

Board members debated whether the two tracts were materially comparable to the prior case. One commissioner said the facts of timing and transfer history made the two matters different; another described the request as an extension of farmland and argued for approval. After discussion the board moved to deny the late application; the motion carried 3-2.

The denial means the parcels will not be shifted into farm classification for the 2025 tax year under this action. The board noted that decisions on untimely applications may be appealed to the property tax commission, as described in the statute read into the record.

Next steps: the transcript does not record any immediate administrative follow-up beyond the vote; any appeal process would proceed under the statutory route referenced by county staff.