Agenda - March 5, 2012 Commissioner's Meeting

The Lee County Board of Commissioners will meet at 3 p.m., Monday, March 5, 2012 for their next regular meeting. Click here to view agenda for said meeting.

March 2012 Center Post

The March 2012 edition of the Enrichment Center's Center Post newsletter is now available!  Click here to see what's going on at the Enrichment Center!

Election 2012 Calendar and One-Stop Sites

The flyers below provide important primary election dates and venues for one-stop early voting sites.  Please click the flyers for more information.

Actions Taken at February 20, 2012 Board of Commissioners Meeting

Click here to view action taken from said meeting.

Tax Foreclosure Sale - Property Listings

The Lee County Tax Office has posted information about its property tax foreclosure sale happening this Friday, February 24th at 12 noon.  The sale will be conducted at the Lee County Courthouse.  Please click here for property listings and more information.

Foreclosure Property listings

New Items at the Lee County Library for Feb. 2012!

Click here to view what's new at your Lee County Library!

Rabies and Adoption Clinic

The Lee County Sherriff's Office along with Dr. Carroll Willams of Carolina Veterinary Hospital, will be hosting a Rabies and Adoption Clinic on April 7, 2012 from 10am to 1pm. Shots will be $7.00 each. CARA along with Pawfect Match Rescue will have pets available for adoption. For more information, feel free to contact Sgt. Rodriguez at (919) 775-5531.

Employment Opportunities

We have updated the employment opportunities section of our website and Facebook page.  See below for position announcements.

Public Health Nurse

Part-time Lifeguards

Part-time Pool Managers

Part-time Swim Instructors

Temporary Van Driver

Summer Camp Counselor

Temporary Nutrition Worker

Sandhills Farm to Table Cooperative

Please click the flyer below for more information on Sandhills Farm to Table Cooperative.

Tax Relief and Tax Revaluation Presentation

The Lee County Tax Office recently presented at the Lee County Enrichment Center's Diners Club on the topics of tax relief programs and the 2013 tax revaluation.  Would you like for the tax office to present at your organization's meeting?  Email tax@leecountync.gov

Agenda for 2-20-12 Commissioner's Meeting

The Lee County Board of Commissioner's will meet at 6 p.m., Monday, February 20th for their next regular meeting. Click here to view agenda for said meeting.

Foreclosure Sale, 2/24/12 - Delinquent Property Taxes

Lee County will hold a property tax foreclosure sale at the courthouse at noon on February 24, 2012.  As it stands right now, seven (7) properties will be sold due to delinquent property taxes.  Information on each of these properties can be found by CLICKING HERE.  You also can map out each of these properties on our Lee County GIS site.  For more information, please visit our foreclosure attorney's website, http://www.zls-nc.com/.

Rest Home-Nursing Home Advisory Board Vacancies

Lee County is looking for interested citizens to serve on the Lee County Rest Home-Nursing Home Advisory Board.

The purpose of the Board is to work with rest homes and nursing homes to ensure quality care for the elderly and disabled adults in Lee County.

Applicants must live in Lee County, be able to meet during monthly daytime hours, attend required training at the Triangle J Council of Government Office located in the Research Triangle Park, and not have an immediate family member currently living in a rest home or nursing home.

Interested individuals can request an application by contacting Clerk to the Board Gaynell Lee (718-4605) or on line at leecountync.gov.

Property Tax Revaluation FAQs

Listed below are 10 FAQs about property tax revaluations in North Carolina.  For more information specifically on Lee County's 2013 revaluation, CLICK HERE to watch a video created by the tax office.

1. WHAT IS A REVALUATION?
Revaluation is a process by which all property tax assessments within a taxing jurisdiction (Lee County) are reassessed to their market value as of a specific revaluation date, January 01, 2013. It also is sometimes called a reappraisal or mass appraisal. The tax office, in this process, reassesses all real property (land, buildings and other improvements to the land) as of the revaluation date. Arms-length market sales are used to estimate new tax assessments during this process as well as other market data such as income/expense information and market building cost information. This updated tax assessment is effective, generally, until the next countywide revaluation. Lee County’s next revaluation date is January 01, 2013, and tax assessments should reflect market value as of that date once the revaluation is completed.

2. WHY HAVE A REVALUATION?
The State of North Carolina requires counties to conduct a revaluation at least once every eight years (NCGS 105 – 286a). Its purpose is to redistribute the tax burden based on current market data. As time elapses between revaluations, properties may increase or decrease in market value at different rates. The State of North Carolina charges counties with assessing property based on current market data as of each revaluation date.

3. WILL ALL PROPERTY VALUES CHANGE?
Most likely, yes. However, not all property values will change at the same percentage. Market values may have increased or decreased more for some neighborhoods and property types than for others. One purpose of a revaluation is to ensure assessed values reflect changes that have occurred in the marketplace since the last countywide revaluation.

4. WHY APPRAISE AT MARKET VALUE?
North Carolina General Statute 105 – 283 requires counties to assess all property, both real and personal property, at its true value in money. True value shall be interpreted as meaning market value. NCGS 105 – 284 establishes a uniform assessment standard. This standard in effect penalizes counties if they are not assessing property at market value as of the date of last revaluation.

5. WHO WILL DO THE WORK?
The Office of the Tax Administrator is conducting this revaluation “in-house”. This means our own personnel in the tax office will be evaluating properties along with current market data and establishing new tax assessments. By having the revaluation conducted with current personnel, we feel this will yield a high-quality revaluation and better tax assessments for your tax dollars.

6. WHEN DOES THE REVALUATION TAKE EFFECT?
Typical countywide revaluations take between 18 – 24 months to complete. Staff of the Lee County Tax Office has been reviewing market sales, compiling studies and maintaining a list of current tax base inventory since the last revaluation, January 01, 2007. Tax office appraisers began reviewing all properties for the 2013 revaluation in mid-2011. Our current goal is to complete the process by the fourth quarter of 2012. The resulting values will be effective January 01, 2013. Real property tax bills mailed in July of 2013 will reflect the new revaluation tax assessment.

7. WHEN CAN I FIND OUT MY NEW TAX ASSESSMENT?
New value notices should be mailed to all taxpayers who own real property in Lee County between January, 2013 and March, 2013.

8. WILL MY TAXES CHANGE AS A RESULT OF REVALUATION?
Although the value of your property does affect your share of taxes, the actual amount you pay is determined by budgetary needs of the jurisdictions in which your property is located (county, city, fire districts, etc.). Governing boards of these taxing units decide what services the jurisdiction will provide in the coming year and how much money the jurisdiction will need to provide these services. A tax rate is then adopted to generate the necessary tax dollars.

9. HOW ARE MARKET VALUES DETERMINED?
Various tools are used to extract data from the market. Sales files, sales questionnaires, multiple listing service, revenue stamps, cost books and ratio studies are a few examples. The best source for establishing residential market values is arms-length sales of reasonably comparable properties. Such properties are similar in location, age, style, condition and other features that may have an effect on market value.

10. WHAT IF I DISAGREE WITH MY NEW TAX ASSESSMENT?
Instructions for appeal will be included with your new value notice. The first appeal level is an informal hearing with a Lee County Tax Office appraiser. Lee County will make personnel available to hold informal hearings with the property owner. During this informal session, the property record card is reviewed and you may request an actual site visit to your property. North Carolina General Statutes put the burden of proof on the property owner to show that a tax assessment is inaccurate. Keep in mind that the informal review will be to ensure your property is assessed at 100% of its fair market value as of the revaluation date, January 01, 2013. Therefore, an informal appeal could result in an increase, decrease or no change in assessment. A change in assessment will be considered only if the owner can demonstrate that the assessed value is more or less than market value as of January 01, 2013, or that it is inconsistent with assessments of similar properties. Assessments cannot be appealed based on (1) its percent of increase/decrease or (2) ability to pay the tax. The tax office will send results of informal appeals via mail. The second level of appeal is to the Lee County Board of Equalization and Review. North Carolina then has a State Property Tax Commission that hears advanced appeals.

Resource Acknowledgements:
Pitt County Tax Assessor’s Office
The Assessment Journal
Onslow County Tax Office
NC Department of Revenue

Action Taken at Feb. 8, 2012 Adjourned Regular Meeting of the Board

Click here to view Action Taken from the February 8, 2012 adjourned regular meeting of the Lee County Board of Commissioners.

Agenda for Feb. 8, 2012 Adjourned Regular Meeting of the Commissioners

The Lee County Board of Commissioners adjourned their regular meeting from February 6, 2012 to February 8, 2012. Click here to view agenda for said meeting.

Action Taken During 2-6-12 Commissioner's Meeting

The Lee County Board of Commissioners met on February 6, 2012 for their first meeting in February. Click here to view Action Taken at said meeting.

Revaluation Video.wmv

Applications for Lee County Board of Equalization & Review

At its second meeting in February, the Lee County Board of Commissioners will consider applications for the Lee County Board of Equalization & Review.  This board is the second level of the appeal process for taxpayers wishing to dispute their tax assessment.  It is a third-party board that listens to the County's argument and the taxpayer's then makes decisions accordingly.  Generally, it convenes twice a year: once in the spring and once in the fall.  Depending on the number of appeals received, each session could last from one day to several weeks. 

For more information on the Board of Equalization & Review's duties and obligations, please contact Dwane Brinson, Tax Administrator at 919-718-4661 x5418.  CLICK HERE to fill out an application to serve on this board. 

Vietnam Veterans Homecoming Celebration--Updated

The Spring of 2012 will forever be remembered as the time when the brave Americans from the Vietnam War were officially welcomed home by their fellow Americans. The Enrichment Center will be participating in this event on March 31, 2012. Click here for more details!  This trip is open to the general public in Lee County and neighboring counties.  Anyone 18 and older can register.

2012 Valentine's Diner

You're invited to an enchanted and romantic evening at the Enrichment Center.  It's our annual Valentine's Dinner!  Click here for all the details! 

Well Water Testing Informational Program

A well water testing informational program will be held at the McSwain Extension Education Center in Sanford on Thursday, February 9, 2012 at 4:00pm and repeated again at 7:00pm. Topics to be covered during the program will include a description of the aquifers located in the area, proper well construction and well protection and an overview of the USGS/Duke University water sampling plans for parts of Lee and Chatham Counties. During the program USGS field personnel to be involved in taking the water samples will be introduced. At the conclusion of the meeting well owners will have the opportunity to sign up for the water-testing program. Currently we have funds, which will allow us to accept 95 participants into program.


If you own land in the Triassic basin, Deep River area, and have a well on your property, you are encouraged to participate in this educational program. To register or for more information, call Cooperative Extension at 775-5624.

Click here for more information.

Agenda for 2-6-12 Commissioner's Meeting

The Lee County Board of Commissioners will meet at 3 p.m., Monday, February 6, 2012 for their next regular meeting. Click here to view agenda for said meeting.