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Residents assail steep revaluations; commissioners urge appeals, promise review
Summary
Residents at the March 16 Bladen County commissioners meeting reported large, sudden property revaluations and urged relief; the board urged residents to file appeals, said it will review valuations and consider adjusting the tax rate and extending appeal deadlines.
Residents packed the Bladen County commissioners meeting on March 16 to press elected officials over large property revaluations they say would sharply raise tax bills.
Thomas Tatum, a lifelong county resident, said his 39-year-old mobile home was revalued from $42,600 to $173,600 and proposed that the board exempt the first $100,000 of property value for elderly and retired residents. "I'm proposing that you exempt a certain amount of their property tax," Tatum said, adding that many retirees would otherwise be unable to afford the increase.
Other speakers gave similar examples. Barbara Tatum said her house rose from about $92,000 to $174,000 and that two daughters’ double-wide homes were valued at roughly $205,000. "There is no way they've been at anybody's house and checked this," she said, pressing the board for a solution beyond simply lowering the tax rate. Sandy White and several residents also reported swamp or wetland parcels doubling or tripling in appraisal value and questioned how appraisers determined those figures.
The county chair responded that the revaluation notices are not tax bills and described the next steps: residents should file appeals with the tax office; the appraisal company will review contested properties; and the board will consider both valuation corrections and the overall tax rate to achieve a revenue-neutral outcome. The chair said the county will work to simplify the appeals paperwork and extend deadlines where allowed by law.
Commissioners acknowledged the political and financial strain on affected residents but cautioned that correcting every valuation will require review and staff work. Several commissioners said lowering the tax rate alone may not fully offset the increases residents cited, and urged people to pursue formal appeals so the county has specific cases to review.
The board did not adopt a tax exemption or a specific rate change at the meeting. It asked staff to explore options to make appeals accessible — including extra outreach for residents with limited literacy and additional in-person assistance at the tax office — and to report back at an upcoming meeting. The county emphasized that residents who believe their valuations are incorrect should begin the appeals process, and the commissioners said they would publicly revisit deadlines and possible extensions.
