After public hearing, commissioners approve $5,821 refund for revenue-stamp overpayment

Craven County commissioners held a statutory hearing April 20 and approved a $5,821 refund to correct an overpayment of revenue stamps on a deed recorded Dec. 16, 2025.

County Attorney Grady opened the hearing and outlined statutory requirements for a refund of excise-stamp overpayments, noting the board could decide at the hearing or defer within the 90-day window. Attorney Steve Bell, who prepared the title certification for the transaction, told the board he did not close the transaction and said Chicago Title, the underwriter, later reported an error in computing the revenue stamp because the buyer’s contract split purchase price between real and personal property and the personal-property amount had been included in the stamp calculation. "We did the title certification for an attorney's office who was handling the closing ... and then they called back through Chicago Title who was underwriting the transaction and said that they had made an error in the computation of the revenue stamp," Bell said.

Register of Deeds Josh Gore added that excise taxes are calculated by the closing party and not the register’s office. A member of the public asked when the error was discovered and Bell said the deed was recorded Dec. 16, 2025 and Chicago Title notified attorneys shortly thereafter.

After public comment the board closed the hearing and, on motion, authorized the refund for $5,821; roll-call voting was unanimous. Grady said staff will handle implementation steps at the staff level.

The refund corrects what Grady described as an underwriting/closing calculation error rather than a recording-office mistake, and the board followed the general-statute hearing process before approving the refund.