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Burke County task force approves market‑area clustering and 5‑acre adjustment for vacant‑land valuations
Summary
A Burke County valuation task force voted to endorse staff recommendations to use market-area clustering and apply a countywide 5-acre land‑size adjustment factor to vacant‑land values as staff works to trend 2023 schedule values to an expected Jan. 1, 2027 baseline.
County Manager Bridal Hebley presented updated vacant‑land sales data and a proposed methodology to the Burke County valuation task force, which voted to accept staff recommendations including market‑area clustering and a countywide 5‑acre land‑size adjustment factor for computing unimproved (vacant) land values.
Hebley told the panel the work aims to align schedule values to where the market is expected to be on Jan. 1, 2027. "The methodology is the main character here," he said, explaining staff used roughly 1,447 qualifying vacant‑land sales from Jan. 1, 2023 through December to compute trended sales ratios and per‑acre values by market area, cluster and township.
Why it matters: staff said mass appraisal requires grouping similar parcels so values reflect how buyers actually pay in the market. Hebley noted that vacant‑land sales are closer to market than structure values in the county and that waterfront townships drive extreme first‑acre values in some places. "Five acres seems to behave from a sales perspective in that way," he said, describing 5 acres as a customary threshold used in other jurisdictions.
What the board approved: the motion on the table authorized staff to use the county market‑area and cluster approach, to adopt the land‑size adjustment factor (set at 5 acres as the default threshold) and to apply that adjustment to the townships listed in the staff materials. A motion was made, seconded and approved by voice vote; the chair declared the motion passed.
Debate and data: board members asked about utility access, appeals and the revenue impact of changing the acreage threshold. Staff replied that parcels in areas with public utilities tend to sell for more and that unique parcel circumstances are handled during the informal appeal period before bills are mailed. Members suggested modeling alternatives (for example 7 or 8 acres) to quantify how many additional parcels would receive a different discount; staff said models can compute potential revenue impacts but reiterated the stated goal is to reach market value, not to generate revenue.
Public information and next steps: members asked how the county will explain the changes to residents. Hebley said the office is preparing a 2027 information page on the county website, FAQs and suggested short videos and periodic press releases to help taxpayers understand the process and the appeals timeline. The task force will continue to refine clusters and values as sales data are updated ahead of the Jan. 1, 2027 valuation date.
The task force scheduled its next meeting for Feb. 3, 2026, at 9:00 a.m.
