The meeting room in the Old Guilford County Court House was packed on Thursday night, March 5, as Guilford County residents turned out in very large numbers to deliver a blunt message to county leaders – don’t turn soaring property values into soaring tax bills.

The crowd began gathering well before the meeting of the Guilford County Board of Commissioners, and an hour before the meeting a protest had formed outside the courthouse.

When the doors opened, the chamber quickly filled.

Several prominent political figures were at the Old Guilford County Court House, including North Carolina Senate President Pro Tem Phil Berger, Rockingham County Sheriff Sam Page, Guilford County Sheriff Danny Rogers, North Carolina House of Representatives District 62 Rep. John Blust, Guilford County commissioner Democratic Primary winner Greg Drumright and North Carolina House of Representatives District 59 Rep. Alan Branson.

With the room packed, commissioners limited public speakers to 15 people and gave each speaker three minutes.

The first speakers was Branson (pictured above), who urged the board to adopt a revenue-neutral tax rate when the county sets its budget later this year.

Branson told commissioners he understood the challenges of balancing a county budget but said many residents are already struggling with rising costs.

“I completely understand the budget process here in Guilford County,” Branson said. “We all definitely need to fund all essential services – but I do feel there are many things that you will place in the 2026 budget that probably could be lessened or removed.”

Branson also said residents across the county are already facing higher costs for basic necessities.

“The citizens are struggling with increased cost of living – rising insurance, higher grocery bills, higher health care costs and many other items that are necessities,” he said.

Branson noted that property revaluation notices have recently gone out across the county and that many homeowners are seeing dramatic increases.

“All Guilford County citizens have received their tax appraisals and the majority of these appraisals have skyrocketed,” he said. “I’m hearing calls all over the marketplace from 30 to over 100 percent. My primary residence was up 59.6 percent.”

He said neighboring properties saw even larger increases.

“That is extremely ridiculous,” Branson said.

Branson warned that if the county leaves the tax rate unchanged after the revaluation, the county will automatically collect far more revenue.

That number, by the way, is $175 million.

“When our property values rise, the county brings in more revenue even if the tax rate stays the same,” he said.

“Again, I’m asking that you adopt a revenue-neutral rate,” he stressed.

Branson also warned that large increases in assessed values could hit businesses particularly hard.

“I’ve heard a rumor that business owners could also receive the largest tax increase of 100 to 300 percent,” he said. “We are already struggling to make ends meet because of higher costs of running our businesses. This could possibly cause many businesses to shut their doors.”

At one point Branson asked residents in the audience who were unhappy with their reassessments to stand.

The vast majority of people in the packed room rose to their feet.  Many of those who did were older adults and the elderly.

The county’s property revaluation has triggered widespread concern across Guilford County because many property owners are seeing assessed values increase sharply compared to the last revaluation cycle.

However, higher property values don’t automatically mean higher taxes.

Property taxes are calculated by multiplying the assessed value of a property by the county’s tax rate. When property values rise sharply during a revaluation, local governments often lower the tax rate to keep overall revenue roughly the same.

That lower rate is known as a “revenue-neutral” rate.

State law requires counties to publish what the revenue-neutral rate would be, but commissioners aren’t required to adopt it. If the board sets the tax rate above the revenue-neutral level, the county collects more total tax revenue.

Several speakers referenced the county’s last revaluation cycle in 2022, when the board chose not to adopt a revenue-neutral rate.

County resident James Steber told commissioners his property taxes rose significantly during that cycle.

Steber said rising taxes eventually get passed along to renters.

“We’re not paying it – the property owners aren’t going to pay it,” he said. “They’re just going to pass it on to the renters. It’s a vicious cycle.”

Another speaker said many homeowners are experiencing “sticker shock” when they open their new assessment notices.

“My own property value increased approximately 49 percent,” the speaker said. “When property values rise nearly 50 percent but the tax rate stays the same, homeowners don’t experience this as a reassessment – they experience it as a tax increase.”

She urged commissioners to adopt a revenue-neutral rate.

“Reevaluation should reflect market conditions, but not become a mechanism for automatically increasing the tax burden on residents,” she said.

Many speakers described dramatic increases in assessed values.

Christi Bledsoe told the commissioners that her home’s value jumped nearly 180 percent.

“I feel like Guilford County has lost its mind,” she said.

Kelly Perdue said she’s on a fixed income and fears the new values could push her out of her home.

“I love Greensboro, but y’all are about to run people out of town,” she said. “I’m scared. I’m worried I’m going to lose my house.”

Retired county resident Louis Thibadeaux said his home’s assessed value jumped from about $160,000 to more than $300,000.

“My wife is disabled,” he said. “We need some help. It’s not just seniors – it’s everybody.”

One speaker nearly broke down in tears as he described the financial pressure many homeowners now face.

“We’re just regular people trying to work and make it happen,” he said. “The cost of living is way up from what it was just five years ago.”

Resident Linda Plummer told commissioners her property value had doubled and she said navigating the appeals process could be expensive and confusing.  She said it was too expensive to get an appraiser in order to make her case to the county.

“I have three homes,” she said. “To do all three of them it’s going to be $1,200.”

Several speakers also warned that rising property taxes could damage the local economy.

New county resident George Tomasic said the reassessments reminded him of policies in other parts of the country where high taxes have driven residents away.

“This is not forward thinking,” he said. “This is short-term thinking.”

Drumright – who recently won a primary election for a seat on the Guilford County Board of Commissioners – said he understands both sides of the issue.

“I realize that it’s imperative that we do not place the entire burden upon the over-taxation of people – our local residents and our proprietors,” Drumright said.

He said many residents he met during his campaign are already struggling with rising living costs.

“People on fixed incomes are already suffering from the stress of stretching their budgets to meet the demands of the rising cost of living,” he said.

At the end of the lengthy public comment period, Chairman of the Guilford County Board of Commissioners Skip Alston thanked the speakers and encouraged residents to keep providing input.

“We really appreciate that,” Alston told the crowd. “We want to hear from you – this is not bothering us at all. This is what we want.”

Alston said commissioners still have a long process ahead before the tax rate is set.

He noted that the board must first review budget requests from county departments before holding a formal public hearing.

“We’ve got to hear from all of our departments and we’ve got to hear from all of you,” Alston said.

The official public hearing on the budget and tax rate will be held on Thursday, June 4, with the final vote scheduled for mid-June.

Until then, he told residents, commissioners want to keep hearing from them.

“When you come down here, that helps us,” Alston said. “We want you all to come – bring your neighbors.”

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