Property owners in Burke County whose homes or structures were damaged during Hurricane Helene may be able to have the tax value of their home adjusted for 2025 property taxes.
Property owners should start getting an informal appeal letter for 2025 soon.
Several of the nine houses belonging to the extended White family along Powerhouse Road in Glen Alpine were washed away by the flooding of the Catawba River below the Lake James dam as a result of rain from the remnants of Hurricane Helene.
Property owners in the county are receiving their property listing form with their property’s value, and included with it is a 2025 informal appeal form.
The appeal form is a chance for those who still have damage from Hurricane Helene as of Jan. 1 to appeal their tax value. The form says for those who fill out the form and describe and show how the property is still damaged, appraisal staff at the tax office will review the situation and make any necessary adjustments to the property’s assessed value.
The appeal must be in writing and the tax office is asking for that to be done within 30 days of receiving the form.
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John Bridgers, tax administrator for Burke County, said property owners who still have damage to their property as of Jan. 1 need to explain how the home is damaged and supply photos of how the property looked as of Jan. 1.
“If they took pictures back in the first of October, well, that might not be what it looks like today or on Jan. 1,†Bridgers said. “Because they may have started repair on it, just not finished.â€
Bridgers said there are nearly 300 properties the county knows of that were damaged due to the storm.
Burke County Manager Brian Epley said the county knows of around 290 properties that were significantly damaged by the storm that may receive some level of value impairment.
The goal of the letter is to make sure there’s not something the county missed during its damage assessments, Epley said.
“If people have damage and impairment to their property, we don’t want to overtax them in any way,†Epley said. “So the first goal is, let’s make sure that our tax records are accurate.â€
Property tax bills are expected to go out in July after the tax rate is set in the 2025-26 budget.
He said there is a possibility that decreased property values will have an impact on the county’s 2025-26 budget. Local government budgets start on July 1 and run through June 30 of the following year.
Epley said that typically, a local government wants what is called natural growth, which includes new net investments and less depreciation, to exceed inflation so it can continue operating at the same level.
“Last year, we had 1.74% growth and an inflationary period of 4%. So last year, our economic position as an organization deteriorated, meaning that inflationary costs — the cost of just running the business of doing the same thing that we did last year — increased by between 3% and 4%. But our natural property tax growth, our investment, our development community, was about 1.74%,†Epley said. “So this year, if it’s zero, or even worse, negative, and you still have that inflationary compounding effect, that just puts a lot of pressure on the budgetary process.â€
Epley said he’s confident the county has some strategies that are going to help with financial strains.
He said the county’s water/sewer fund and landfill fund continue to do well. The county started collecting EMS bills in-house. He said the county also found some other savings.
“But that’s not going to only be a problem for Burke County. It’s gonna be a problem for all the other 23 counties in western North Carolina,†Epley said. “That, I think, is going to be this lingering challenge of, how do you fund government when 65% to 70% of your budget is people, and if you have revenue loss, how do you fill that gap and continue to provide services that people need?â€
Every property owner in the county should also receive a listing abstract. That abstract form is for any improvements to property or to list personal property such as a mobile home, boat, boat motor, vehicle trailer or unlicensed motor vehicles.
Property owners who haven’t paid the 2024 tax bill have until 5 p.m. on Jan. 6 to pay it before a 2% penalty is added. On the first day of each additional month after January until it is paid, three-quarters of 1% penalty will be added, Bridgers said.
For questions about the appeal form, call the Burke County Tax Office at 828-764-9430.
