Pender County residents voice concerns over taxes, housing and property reappraisals at town hall

BURGAW, NC (WWAY) — Pender County commissioners heard concerns about property taxes, home values, affordable housing and access to drinking water during a town hall meeting Tuesday evening in Burgaw, though only a handful of residents attended.

The meeting was intended to allow residents to ask questions and provide feedback on issues affecting the county. Just five residents attended, with county staff outnumbering members of the public.

Among those who spoke was Burgaw resident Regina Fennell, who raised concerns about the county’s tax rate, property reappraisals, drinking water access and the need for more affordable housing.

Fennell also described her experience after noticing a dramatic increase in the assessed value of her mobile home during the county’s property reappraisal process. She said she challenged the assessment.

“My mobile home value was, it was raised 1,307%. That means, because it needed repairs, it went from $10,000 up to $121,000,” Fennell said. “They looked at it and they said, ‘You’re right, we made a clerical error.’ And they immediately reduced the value of the mobile home down to where it belongs.”

Commissioner Jimmy Tate said he was disappointed by the low turnout and encouraged more residents to participate in future town halls.

“I wonder, have they lost trust in our county government?” Tate said. “I wonder how they believe that we’re not approachable or listening to them. I believe that when we have a town hall meeting, we should have way more people showing up to meetings. And I encourage people to come out to future meetings that we have and just show and voice their concerns.”

Residents can find information about upcoming Pender County Commission meetings and future town halls under the “Agendas and Minutes” section of the Pender County website.

The commission’s next town hall is scheduled for 6 p.m. Thursday at the Hampstead Annex.