Guilford County officials have informed the Rhino Times that if county commissioners were to keep the property tax rate exactly the same under the sharply increased 2026 revaluation, the county would take in about $175 million in additional revenue every year.

That’s the number.

The last time the county underwent a revaluation under the Democrat-majority board, commissioners left the tax rate unchanged and brought in roughly $92 million more annually – and spent or committed every dime of it.

This time, Chairman of the Guilford County Board of Commissioners Skip Alston says that won’t happen.

“I don’t think we need $175 million in order to balance our budget this year,” Alston told the Rhino Times soon after the new property values came out. “You can quote me on that.”

However, Alston also made it clear that the county is not planning to adopt a revenue-neutral rate – the rate that would bring in the same total revenue as last year despite higher property values.

In other words, just because your property value went up 50 percent, 60 percent or even more doesn’t mean your tax bill will rise by that same percentage. But your tax bill is going up. The question now is how much.

Alston said commissioners will take “no more than what we need,” but he also emphasized that Guilford County is facing growth pressures and service demands that will certainly require additional revenue.

“We’re going to need some of it,” he said of the projected $175 million that would come in if the rate stayed the same.

A major theme of Alston’s comments was growth. He pointed to projections that roughly 27,000 new jobs will be coming to Greensboro and Guilford County over the next three to five years – largely tied to major economic development projects.

“When you’re bringing in about 27,000 more jobs and those people are coming from outside of Greensboro, most of them, they’re bringing their families,” Alston said. “We can’t wait three to five years and say, ‘Oh shoot, we’ve got another 10,000 kids this year and we’ve got to house them.’”

He added that the county has to prepare now for potential increases in school enrollment, sheriff coverage in rural areas, emergency services, social services programs and adding planning and permitting staff.

He also noted that county facilities themselves need attention.

“Our county buildings are falling apart,” Alston said, adding that commissioners have spent years concentrating on deteriorating school facilities while other county buildings also require maintenance.

Alston compared the situation to inviting 45 people to stay in a three-bedroom house. If you don’t plan ahead, you’re going to have a problem when everyone shows up at once.

“We can’t afford to be afraid to do what we know we have to do to accommodate the citizens,” he said.

At the same time, Alston acknowledged that the revaluation has hit some lower-valued homes particularly hard. The Rhino Times has seen examples of homes that were valued around $50,000 in 2022 now coming in at $120,000 or more – nearly two and a half times higher – even without major upgrades.

Alston said he’s especially concerned about senior citizens living on fixed incomes.

“If you’ve got somebody 65 or 70 years old and they’re just getting their Social Security check and maybe a small pension, and their taxes go up another $2,000 or $3,000 a year, they might not be able to absorb that cost,” he said.

He also said he intends to challenge county staff and the county attorney to explore what can legally be done to provide additional relief.

“I want to do something for senior citizens based on a need basis,” Alston said. “It can’t just be based on age. It has to be based on need.”

Currently, certain property tax relief programs apply to households under a specific income threshold – around $38,000.

Alston said he believes that threshold may need to be raised.

“In my opinion, it should go up to a lot more than that – probably $50,000,” he said, arguing that households earning $50,000 may still struggle with significant increases.

He said he wants to ensure that residents meeting income-based criteria aren’t paying 100 percent of whatever the new tax rate turns out to be, but instead have options for financial relief within legal limits.

While Alston repeatedly said the Board of Commissioners will not take the full $175 million, he didn’t give any hope that the commissioners will adopt a revenue-neutral rate. Instead, he indicated that the county will determine how much additional revenue is required after evaluating projected growth, service demands and capital needs.

“We’re not going to take $175 million just because we can,” Alston said. “I don’t want the county commissioners to take no more than what we actually need to provide services.”

Still, he was candid that additional revenue will be necessary.

“We’ve got to get more money in order to provide the services for the people that are coming here,” he said.

Alston suggested that if the county plans carefully now and allows its tax base to grow as new homes are built and new residents move in, it may avoid sharper increases later. If commissioners take enough revenue now to prepare for growth, he argued, the expanding tax base could help stabilize things down the road.

Right now, the budget process is just beginning. Commissioners are expected to hold multiple town halls and public hearings before adopting a final tax rate.

But one thing is already clear: Property owners across Guilford County are going to feel the impact of this revaluation.

The only question left is how hard they are going to feel it.

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