GASTONIA, N.C. – The 2023 property tax reappraisal process is well underway in Gaston County, with several key dates just around the corner.
At its Tuesday, September 27th regular meeting, the Board of Commissioners will hold a public meeting to allow the public to comment on the 2023 Schedule of Values. The meeting has a special 3 p.m. start time.
Following that meeting, the Board is scheduled to adopt the 2023 Schedule of Values at its October 25th regular meeting. The tax office will then advertise those values in the local newspaper, as well as on the County’s website, GastonGov.com, giving the public more than a month to review the values and make any appeals to the state Property Tax Commission in Raleigh by the November 28 deadline.
“Our goal is to make sure all of our citizens know what’s coming with this process,” Board of Commissioners Chairman Chad Brown (R-Riverbend Township) said. “We don’t anyone to be surprised or feel caught off guard when they get their notices in the mail next year.”
The values go into effect as of January 1, 2023, and residents can expect to receive their updated property valuations in the mail in mid-February. Residents will have 30 days from when they receive their valuation notice to appeal their value to the Tax Office. They can do so by mail, online at WeValueGaston2023.com – the Tax Office’s reappraisal site homepage – and in person as well. The Tax Office plans to send staff to numerous municipalities across the county to hear appeals from citizens who choose to appeal in person.
Those who are unsuccessful in their appeal to the Tax Office have the right to appeal to the Board of Equalization and Review, and ultimately to the Property Tax Commission if the BER appeal is also unsuccessful.
The Tax Office has already conducted more than a dozen community meetings to discuss the revaluation process, and has more than a dozen more slated for the weeks ahead. One of those meetings, scheduled for Wednesday, October 26, at 1:30 in the Harley B. Gaston Public Forum inside the Gaston County Courthouse, will be broadcast live on the County’s Government Access Channel and via the County’s YouTube page.
A number of resources about the reappraisal process, including videos, FAQs, the slides from the public presentations and new tools like COMPER, which allows citizens to compare recent property sales in their area, are all available at WeValueGaston2023.com.
“We want to talk to as many of our residents about this process as we can,” Interim Tax Director Chelsea Tarbush said. “By explaining the different factors causing values to change, we hope to alleviate any potential concerns.”
The establishment of new values is only part of the property tax process. In the spring, the county manager will present a budget to the Board of Commissioners and the board will then vote in late May or early June on approving a budget and setting a tax rate. Residents will then be mailed their new property tax bills next July.
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