Burke County forms revaluation task force, sets timeline toward 2027 reassessment

Burke County on Wednesday convened a newly created Revaluation Task Force to help staff develop the schedule of values and public outreach that will feed a countywide revaluation effective Jan. 1, 2027.

"The goal is really to help build towards the 2027 revaluation," said Brian Wood, Burke County manager, at the start of the meeting. Wood told members the panel was commissioned by the Burke County Board of Commissioners to review components of a mass reappraisal and make recommendations to the board.

The task force combines county appraisal staff and local experts from real estate, insurance and soil-and-water professionals. John Bridal, who identified himself as a county tax-office official with more than 30 years' experience, introduced the tax office team that will provide monthly reports and data to the group.

Wood and staff described how countywide revaluations differ from single-property appraisals: they use statistical schedules (land values, depreciation, price-per-square-foot tables and neighborhood submarkets) that are applied across the county's parcel data rather than re-inspecting every property.

"We have about 1,000 different what we call neighborhoods in Burke County," Wood said, explaining that staff plan to set land values first and then work through structural components. He added the county's tax base is roughly $11,000,000,000 and that the county has about 37,000 improved parcels and more than 50,000 total parcels to account for.

Staff presented sales-ratio analytics to show the current gap between tax-assessed values and market prices. "When we did our last reval in 01/01/2023, our sales ratio was 59%, meaning our tax values lagged the market by 41%," Wood said, noting recent increases in list and sale prices have widened that gap.

Wood also reviewed statutory context, saying the state 'machinery act' governs the revaluation process and that the North Carolina Department of Revenue sets regulatory guidance; he noted counties are mandated to use ad valorem (market-based) values and that Burke County follows a four-year cycle.

During the meeting the group voted to adopt the proposed agenda by voice vote after Evan Crowley moved to approve it. Members then addressed administrative items: rules of procedure were reviewed (the quorum is a simple majority of current appointed members, excluding vacancies), the group agreed to have county staff take minutes, and a proposed monthly meeting schedule was presented.

Members nominated and approved a chair by voice vote. Earlier in the meeting, Johnny Carswell had introduced himself as a former Burke County commissioner and past board chairman.

Wood laid out a tentative timeline for the group's work: staff will present components over coming months and aim to have scheduled values compiled for Board of Commissioners consideration by November–December 2026 so the board can adopt values for the 2027 assessment cycle. The task force set its next meeting for Dec. 2 at 9 a.m.

The meeting closed after a motion to adjourn carried by voice vote.

What happens next: staff will bring sales-ratio reviews, land-value proposals and other schedule components to future task-force meetings; members will be asked to provide feedback on proposed schedule values before the county presents final recommendations to the Board of Commissioners for adoption later in 2026.