If the Guilford County Board of Commissioners raises property taxes this year, a whole lot of people, especially in this economy, are going to need a whole lot of help. Fortunately, Guilford County staff and commissioners are considering options to do just that for some select homeowners – especially seniors.

At a budget retreat held on Friday, March 27 at Northeast Park, the Guilford County Board of Commissioners continued shaping what might become one of the more tangible responses to rising property values and the tax bills that follow them.

Among the many topics discussed at the meeting – including revenue pressures, workforce needs, homelessness services and capital projects – was a proposal that, if adopted, would directly affect certain homeowners: a county version of a “Low-Income Homeowner Assistance Program.”

Chairman of the Guilford County Board of Commissioners Skip Alston said that this program would be aimed largely at helping seniors and he said he would also like the final version to help out disabled veterans as well.

“Veterans who are completely disabled have a very difficult time,” Alston told the Rhino Times this week.

Alston also cautioned that there were some major legal limitations in state tax law and said that the board and staff are working closely with the county attorney to see what is legal and what is not. Alston added that some moves might require help from the state legislature to remove some legal barriers so, as of yet, nothing is set in stone.

The commissioners are eyeing perhaps $500,000 in grants to help those in need and since seniors would be the first who could apply, there might not be anything left after that.

Commissioner Pat Tillman said the proposal is being framed in large part around helping older residents who may be struggling with rising tax bills, but he emphasized that the program itself wouldn’t be limited to seniors.

“It’s really aimed at relief – particularly for seniors, but it’s for everybody,” Tillman said.

 He added that the structure of the application process is designed to give seniors a head start.

“The first 30 days is for those 65 and older, so they’re essentially getting an early application opportunity,” he said.

At the same time, Tillman noted that the broader issue driving the proposal is one that cuts across the entire community.

Tillman has been conducting a sustained effort to work with other county commissioners to see that tax bills stay within reason even despite the dramatic rise in housing values.  In order for that to happen the commissioners would need to significantly reduce the current tax rate when the new values go into effect.

“This tax revaluation cuts across all ideologies, all demographics, all age groups,” Tillman said. “If you’re in jeopardy of losing the property that you own –  that’s a problem.”

Some commenters on Rhino Times stories have posted that tax bills have gotten so high that they don’t feel like they even own their home – they feel as though they’re renting it from the county and city and may have to leave at any time because they can’t afford the high property taxes.

The idea of offering some relief isn’t entirely new: County leaders had previously directed staff to develop a grant program modeled after a similar effort already in place in the City of Greensboro and possibly set aside funding for implementation.

Now, that concept is beginning to take clearer shape.

At its core, the proposed program would provide grants to qualifying homeowners to help offset increases in their property tax bills resulting from revaluation. Rather than offering a flat benefit or a one-size-fits-all payment, the program would be designed to track actual changes in tax liability.

In simple terms, the grant amount would be based on the difference between what a homeowner paid in property taxes in a previous year and what they owe after a revaluation.

If a homeowner’s taxes rose by a few hundred dollars over that period, the grant would cover that difference.

It’s a targeted approach – one that aims to address a specific problem that’s become increasingly common in Guilford County: homeowners who aren’t necessarily moving, improving their homes or increasing their income, but who still find themselves facing higher tax bills simply because property values have climbed.

The eligibility requirements reflect that targeted philosophy.

To qualify, applicants would need to have owned their property for at least five consecutive years and use it as their primary residence. The program would also include income limits tied to area median income.

There would also be a home value cap, currently proposed at $250,000 for the 2025 tax year; though that figure could be adjusted in future years based on updated property values and revaluation trends.

In addition, applicants couldn’t have outstanding liens, delinquent taxes or certain other financial encumbrances on their property.

Taken together, those criteria suggest the program is aimed squarely at lower- to moderate-income homeowners who’ve remained in their homes over time and are now being squeezed by rising assessments.

There are also indications that county officials are thinking carefully about how to prioritize limited funds.

One proposed feature would give applicants age 65 and older priority access during the first 30 days of the application period. That detail alone signals a recognition of a familiar local concern: older residents on fixed incomes who may be especially vulnerable to sudden increases in housing costs.

The structure of the program also reflects an attempt to balance fairness with administrative simplicity.

Applications would open in mid-July and close at the end of October, with any grants typically paid out by January of the following year.

That timeline aligns the program with the property tax cycle while giving county staff time to review applications and verify eligibility.

At the same time, the proposal allows for adjustments over time.

Future program years would shift the comparison baseline – for example, measuring changes between earlier and more recent tax bills as new revaluations take effect.

That approach suggests the county isn’t just responding to a single revaluation but instead is trying to build a framework that can evolve alongside future changes in property values.

Still, the program raises a number of questions that commissioners will have to wrestle with as budget discussions continue.

The first is scale: With a limited initial allocation, the program could provide meaningful relief to some homeowners – but likely not all who might qualify. That raises the issue of how many residents could realistically be served and whether demand might quickly outpace available funding.  Since seniors – and perhaps disabled veterans – would get first dibs, the money might be gone before anyone else can apply.

There’s also the question of long-term sustainability.

If property values continue to rise and revaluations continue to produce higher tax bills, pressure to expand the program could grow. That, in turn, would compete with other county priorities discussed at the retreat – from workforce investments to infrastructure and public services.

And then there’s the question that often accompanies programs like this: Should government step in to offset tax increases driven by market forces, or should the tax system itself be adjusted?

One thing they could do, of course, is simply keep the tax rate at or near revenue neutral levels.

The proposed program operates as a targeted relief mechanism within the existing system.

That may be part of its appeal.

Unlike broad tax cuts or sweeping policy changes, the program is narrowly focused, relatively straightforward to administer and designed to reach a specific group of residents who are most likely to feel the impact of rising property values.

At the same time, it avoids reducing overall tax revenue, since it functions as a grant rather than a tax rate adjustment.

In that sense, it represents a middle ground – an attempt to address real concerns without fundamentally altering Guilford County’s fiscal structure.

These conversations are expected to continue in upcoming work sessions and public meetings, including Livability and Budget Town Halls, where residents will have an opportunity to weigh in.

And those encounters may ultimately shape the final version of the program as much as anything else.

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