There was something of a taxpayer revolt at the Thursday, Oct. 1 Guilford County Board of Commissioners meeting, which was meant to be a hearing on the county’s schedule of values – the standardized rates and guidelines used to determine market value for the 2026 countywide property revaluation.

However, rather than a hearing on the methodology being used to arrive at property values, it turned into a hearing with a long line of residents taking the microphone in the Old Guilford County Court House to say, in one way or another, that enough is enough when it comes to skyrocketing property taxes.

Not a single speaker voiced support for the methodology being undertaken by the Tax Department to arrive at new property values. But one taxpayer after another pleaded with commissioners not to allow the new higher property values to become higher tax bills when the property tax rates are set in the summer of 2026.

Many speakers pointed to the bruising 2022 revaluation – when property tax bills shot up across the county – as proof that residents can’t absorb another financial hit.

The Democratic-led Board of Commissioners at that time failed to adjust the tax rate downward to a “revenue-neutral” rate (as the Republican-majority board had done before them years ago), which meant that, even though the tax rate remained the same, people ended up paying a whole lot more because their property was on the Tax Department’s books at a much higher assessed value.

According to data presented by the Tax Department earlier this year and then confirmed later in the year, the average home in Guilford County will be coming in at about 50 percent higher than it did four years ago.

The first speaker summed up the sentiment of many bluntly: “My taxes went up about 30 percent in 2022. Now you’re telling me we’re going through this again – I panic. Anything I do to my property means I’m going to pay more. We have to move to revenue neutral. Residents cannot sustain more taxes.”

He warned that the rumored 48 percent increase would push people out of their homes, and that renters would be hit just as hard because landlords would pass the costs on.

“People on fixed incomes won’t be able to sustain that,” he said. “You work for the residents of Guilford County, and you have to consider the impact your decisions have. Please move to revenue neutral.”

The room broke into applause at times despite reminders from Chairman of the Guilford County Board of Commissioners Skip Alston that clapping wasn’t allowed.

One of the most forceful speeches came from Billy Queen, a former federal agent with a master’s degree in criminal justice. Queen, who will be running for sheriff next year, told the commissioners they were on the verge of creating a new class of criminals.

“Good people are not going to let their children starve,” he said. “Good people are not going to let their children sleep out in the cold or in some dangerous homeless shelter. If you push people beyond their limits, you will turn law-abiding citizens into shoplifters, drug dealers and thieves. Don’t kid yourselves that it’s just ‘a little bit more’ that homeowners will pay. That burden will fall on people who can least afford it.”

Another man pointed out that Guilford County’s 30 percent assessment jump in 2022 was among the steepest in the nation.

“I was told we were ‘only’ second highest,” he said.  “I guess now we’re wanting to beat California.”

 He argued that 2026 assessments could be 40 to 50 percent higher than those in 2022 and blasted the Democratic majority on the board for spending hundreds of millions in recent years while letting property tax revenue balloon.

“This tax-and-spend freight train can be stopped,” he said, calling on citizens to push for House Bill 539 in Raleigh – a measure that would require revenue-neutral tax rates when counties do revaluations.

Local activist George Hartzman also spoke at the hearing, repeating several times that his tax bill is up 43 percent. He warned that the collapse in commercial property values would shift the tax burden even more heavily onto homeowners.

Hartzman criticized what he called a “secretive revaluation process” and said taxpayers deserve transparency rather than “a hidden rule book.”

Parts of the methodology being used in the revaluation are proprietary information of a company helping the Tax Department and therefore those formulas cannot be reproduced and distributed publicly.

Another speaker rattled off numbers comparing Guilford to other counties. He noted that Guilford’s effective tax burden is much higher than Mecklenburg or Wake despite median incomes here being far lower.

“You’re talking about moving the average property tax bill from $4,000 to $6,000 – that’s two Social Security checks per month,” he said. “That’s unsustainable for seniors. Please adopt a revenue–neutral budget.”

Several others echoed similar concerns, weaving in personal stories.

One woman said her taxes jumped 53 percent in 2022 on a modest 1,284-square-foot home. She called on the county commissioners to demand more accountability from nonprofits and outside groups receiving taxpayer funding.

“Anyone who gets county money should have to show their full budget,” she said. “People need to know this government is running lean before you ask us to pay more.”

A real estate broker who spoke warned that the influx of higher–income residents from other states during COVID has inflated local property values well beyond what native residents can handle.

“Our own children and grandchildren can’t afford to buy or even rent here; property taxes are going to crush them,” she said.

The theme was consistent: frustration, fear and pleas for restraint. No one defended the county’s process. Every comment circled back to the need for the commissioners to keep rates revenue–neutral when the revaluation numbers come in next year.

At the meeting, Tax Director Ben Chavis gave a presentation explaining how the process works. He reviewed the schedule of values – the manual that outlines how different property characteristics translate into market values – and he emphasized that Guilford County is following state law that requires reappraisals at least every eight years.

Chavis said the goal is equity, with values falling within 95 to 105 percent of actual market sales, ideally hitting 100 percent.

The tax director outlined a detailed timeline: notices for residential property will be mailed in February 2026, commercial notices in March, with appeals running through May. Informal appeals can be made directly to appraisers, and unresolved cases will advance to the NC Property Tax Commission.

Chavis encouraged residents to check their property data for accuracy, to review their notices as soon as they arrive, and to contact the department if they find any discrepancies.

He also highlighted new software tools that will let residents compare their property values to their neighbors’ online, as well as steps Guilford County has taken to make the appeals process smoother.

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