Yesterday we sent you information about the Commissioner’s Budget proposal which includes a property tax hike. If you didn’t know, an article recently appeared on the WECT website and could indicate the Commissioners have announced a slight property tax assessment or perhaps a tax neutral assessment. As explained in the attached document (first attachment) this is very misleading. The Board’s decision has resulted in an approximate 10% property tax increase. The Board has failed in sharing why an increase is needed. They were also noticeably quiet about the $45 million that was allocated to NHC from at least one of the recent stimulus packages, with more likely on the way. Also missing from their presentation was the sale of the hospital for $1.2 billion, what is planned for dollars generated by the sale, and if this has any impacts on future tax assessments.

We realize that concerned citizens have busy lives and often do not have time to draft and send an email voicing your concerns. Hopefully, we have made that easier for you. If you choose to send the County Commissioners an email you have a few options. You can send the more detailed lengthier full explanation (first attachment) or you can opt to send one of the shorter more pointed options (options 2 – 4)

Please take a quick look at the first attachment and if you decide this is important to you, copy and paste one of the attachment narratives into an email and send to each of the current County Commissioners. You also have the option to alter any of the text in the attached to express your own thoughts and concerns on this issue. If you choose to send an email; please “blind copy” (Bcc) me.

Again, if you choose to send the Commissioners an email, we again have made it easy for you. The below are the email addresses for all five Commissioners.

• joboseman@nhcgov.com
• jbarfield@nhcgov.com
• rzapple@nhcgov.com
• dhays@nhcgov.com
• brivenbark@nhcgov.com

Option One:

New Hanover County Commissioners:

I have read the WECT article concerning the County Budget that was recently revealed by the Commissioners. The numbers in the article appear, on the surface, to be a slight tax reduction which is simply not the case. The statements indicating a revenue-neutral tax rate are totally misleading.

What concerns me most is that the Commissioners are not being transparent with New Hanover County residents. Information that was not shared or released is more impactful than the numbers that were. For example, there are several documented articles that agree New Hanover County property assessment values increased, on average, by 30%. As stated in the WECT article, the previous tax rate was 55.5/100. Taking into consideration increased property values, a revenue-neutral tax rate would be 42.5/100. The proposed tax rate of 47.7/100 is .05/100 greater than the revenue-neutral, or a little more than a 10% tax increase.

While many may not have grasped the fact that taxes were actually being increased, many quickly realized the reality of a tax hike. As a result of a tax increase, there are several questions about things the Commissioners failed to share. There are several issues that are of great concern to New Hanover County residents. The following are but a few examples:

Will monies be used to repair roads, make Market Street safer, curbs and sidewalks, bicycle lanes, schools, better teachers in our schools, more police presence, water and sewer hookups, address the GEN-X issue, etc.? If not, why the increase?

$45 million was recently earmarked for New Hanover County in one of the many stimulus packages flowing from the White House, with more forecasted to be allocated in the future. Numerous articles were released indicating how the Commissioners were planning to allocate these monies, including bonuses for County workers. These allocations would indicate a tax increase is not justified.

The sale of the hospital has dominated the news for months. The reported $1.2 billion trust fund expected investment returns that will be paid to the County over several years and should be earmarked for those budget items that are currently being paid by tax revenue. Property taxes should remain neutral for the next several years. If not, what future expenditures are being considered that would support a tax increase?

In broad terms the current published public information available would indicate:

• A 10% increase in property taxes
• At least $45M in Federal Government subsidies this year
• An expected $50 to $75 million revenue stream from the Hospital Trust Fund annually
• This is a massive increase in County revenue.

Overall, I am completely dissatisfied with the tax decision that has been made by the Commissioners. As noted in my email there appears to be a lack of planning, forecast modeling, and risk assessment analysis being made at the Commissioner level. It has become clear that the Commissioners are omitting critical information that should be made public.

Option Two:

I have read the WECT article concerning the County Budget that was recently revealed by the Commissioners. The numbers in the article appear, on the surface, to be a slight tax reduction which is simply not the case, and the statements indicating a revenue-neutral tax rate are totally misleading.

In broad terms, the current published public information available would indicate:

• A 10% increase in property taxes
• At least $45M in Federal Government subsidies this year
• An expected $50 to $75 million revenue stream from the Hospital Trust Fund annually

This is a massive increase in County revenue

Overall, I am completely dissatisfied with the tax decision that has been made by the Commissioners. As noted in my email there appears to be a lack of planning, forecast modeling, and risk assessment analysis being made at the Commissioner level. It has become clear that the Commissioners are omitting critical information that should be made public.

Option Three:

I read the WECT article concerning the County Budget that was recently revealed by the Commissioners. The numbers in the article appear, on the surface, to be a slight tax reduction. This is simply not the case, and the statements indicating a revenue-neutral tax rate is totally misleading.

What concerns me most is that the Commissioners are not being transparent with New Hanover County residents. Information that was not shared or released is more impactful than the numbers that were shared. For example, there are several documented articles that agree New Hanover County property assessment values increased, on an average, by 30%. As stated in the WECT article, the previous tax rate was 55.5/100. Taking into consideration increased property values; a revenue-neutral tax rate would be 42.5/100. The proposed tax rate of 47.7/100 is .05/100 greater than the revenue-neutral or a little more than a 10% tax increase.

Option Four:

I have read the WECT article concerning the County Budget that was recently revealed by the Commissioners. The numbers in the article appear, on the surface, to be a slight tax reduction which is simply not the case, and the statements indicating a revenue-neutral tax rate is totally misleading.

What concerns me most is that the Commissioners are not being transparent with New Hanover County residents. Information that was not shared or released is more impactful than the numbers that were. For example, there are several documented articles that agree New Hanover County property assessment values increased, on average, by 30%. As stated in the WECT article, the previous tax rate was 55.5/100. Taking into consideration increased property values; a revenue-neutral tax rate would be 42.5/100. The proposed tax rate of 47.7/100 is .05/100 greater than the revenue-neutral, or a little more than a 10% tax increase.

Overall, I am completely dissatisfied with the tax decision that has been made by the Commissioners. As noted in my email there appears to be a lack of planning, forecast modeling, and risk assessment analysis being made at the Commissioner level. It has become clear that the Commissioners are omitting critical information that should be made public.