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Durham County tax administrator briefs commissioners on 2025 general reappraisal; questions raised about taxpayer guide and vacancy data
Summary
Tax Administrator Keyar Doyle presented Durham County’s 2025 general reappraisal process and market findings on Feb. 10, 2025. Commissioners asked for a taxpayer guide to accompany 2026 bills, requested multifamily vacancy data due in May, and sought enrollment figures for the DSS low-income homeowner relief program (not specified).
Tax Administrator Keyar Doyle briefed the Durham County Board of County Commissioners on the county’s 2025 general reappraisal during the Feb. 10, 2025 regular session.
Doyle outlined the reappraisal process, the statutory framework under North Carolina General Statute, the rationale for a four-year cycle, 2024 sales assessment ratios and local market trends affecting valuation of commercial, apartment, hotel, retail and industrial properties. He also reviewed available tax relief programs and the appeals process.
Board members pressed for clarifications about technical elements of valuation. A commissioner asked how the “base rate” is defined; Doyle said it is determined by comparing rates for similar properties and indicated appraisers use raw land sales and standard appraisal techniques when direct comparisons are unavailable. Commissioners also asked whether the County could include a guide with the 2026 tax bills explaining what services are funded by property taxes; Doyle responded he could work with other departments to provide such a guide.
Commissioners asked about differences in pricing for similarly sized homes with different land areas; Doyle said appraisers rely on land sales and appraisal techniques to determine land values when raw-land sales are limited. The board requested multifamily vacancy data; Doyle said vacancy figures would be available in May and that he would provide the data and post it to the County website. When asked about the number of residents enrolled in the Department of Social Services Low-Income Homeowner Relief Program, Doyle said he would need to contact DSS to obtain the exact number and noted the enrollment had increased compared with the prior year (exact figure not specified).
Doyle confirmed the Tax Department is planning for the next reappraisal cycle after completion of the 2025 effort and is collecting information shared by the State. The Board thanked Doyle for the presentation and for providing transparency to residents.
Next steps: the Tax Department will supply multifamily vacancy data in May, investigate and report the exact DSS relief enrollment figures, and explore providing a taxpayer guide with 2026 tax bills.
