Every eight years, North Carolina requires all counties to revaluate properties. This establishes a fair market value for all homes in the state.

Orange County will conduct property revaluations for the first time since 2009 beginning in January. The Orange County Board of Commissioners held a meeting on September 6, and discussed the plan for the reappraisals.

Tonight, the Board will hold a public hearing to discuss the property revaluations in more depth.

Dwane Brinson is the director of the Orange County Tax Office. He said the primary goal of any revaluation is to equalize the tax base.

“We have properties that are appreciating or depreciating at different rates throughout the county,” he said. “And the goal is just to bring things up or down to the current market value as of that single appraisal date.”

Brinson said after all revaluations are turned in, notices of new value will most likely be mailed out in late February. The deadline for informal appeals is April 28, 2017. This is about a month later than usual.

“We feel like that’s the best process to make sure that the data is accurate,” he said. “Make sure they understand where we have come from, and hear what they have to say too.”

Brinson said the main goal of the process is to involve the community in each step of the way.

“People know their properties better than we do in most situations,” he said.

The public hearing will be tonight at 7:00 at the Southern Human Services Center on Homestead Road.