Pender County reinstates 2026 property values, resets appeal deadline to June 30

BURGAW, NC (WWAY) — On Monday, Pender County commissioners reversed course on a controversial property reappraisal process, confirming the new 2026 values will be used in the county’s next fiscal budget.

The Pender County Board of Commissioners voted 3-2 to rescind a previous pause on the reappraisals. Officials also moved the deadline to file an appeal back to its original date of June 30, after it had been extended to Oct. 1.

More than 55,000 notices will be mailed to property owners in the coming weeks, informing them of the updated appeal deadline and including a paper appeal form on the reverse side.

The decision followed a recommendation from County Manager Colby Sawyer, who said the county may be required to move forward with the updated values unless state lawmakers act.

“On the advice of the Association of County Commissioners, School of Government, Mrs. Barber-Jones and my own readings — and I am not an attorney — it is my understanding that unless the Senate bill passes, we need to use the 2026 reappraisal data,” Sawyer said.

The legislation referenced by Sawyer, Senate Bill 889, would require counties to instead use 2025 property values if approved. The bill is sponsored in part by Sen. Brent Jackson, who previously met with commissioners Jimmy Tate and Brent Springer to discuss potential changes after the board had unanimously voted to pause the reappraisals.

County staff told commissioners the bill may not pass in time to meet the June 30 appeal deadline, prompting Monday’s vote.

The issue has drawn strong reactions from residents, many of whom say their property values have sharply increased. Frankie and Lewis Saunders said their home’s assessed value rose significantly.

“My house now went up 400%,” Lewis said.

Commission Chairman Randy Burton said lowering the county’s tax rate could help offset the higher property values.

“We got to work on the tax rate. We’ve got to bring people’s tax rate down. We don’t have a revenue problem, we’ve got a spending problem,” Burton said.

Some examples for the county’s spending problem include several major expenses, such as a new K-8 school in Hampstead, Central Pender Park, and ongoing payments to Vincent Valuations for conducting the reappraisal and handling appeals.

“Next year, next January, your check you write shouldn’t be no more than the check you wrote this year. That’s where I’m at,” Burton said.

However, county staff said the tax rate would need to be cut nearly in half for the county to generate the same amount of revenue as last year.