Surf City property tax rate increase raising concerns

SURF CITY, NC (WWAY) — For the first time in 12 years, the town of Surf City is raising its property tax rate.

The increase is from 41 cents per $100 per value to 53 cents, a 30% increase.

Kym Pattishall moved to Surf City with her husband 5 years ago during a time when the town’s tax rate was 41 cents.

But Pattishall said the increase, coupled with rises in insurance and other areas, will hurt many homeowners.

“It feels higher, it feels normal or natural to me to live in a beach town and that’s the price you pay and that’s great,” Pattishall said. “But if you keep getting squeezed and insurance going up with the storms. And there’s a lot more maintenance on beach homes, so it’s going to hurt.”

For context, Pender County’s current rate is a little more than 73 cents, while New Hanover County’s is 45 cents, a rate commissioners there agree should come down following property revaluations earlier this year.

During the June 3rd meeting, where the tax rate and the town’s budget were approved, Mayor Pro Tem Jeremy Shugarts said the decision to increase it was a tough one for him to make.

“This is a very difficult decision for everyone of us,” Shugarts said. “It has torn me up, my wife up talking about this, time and time again. Do I want to be the guy who absolute votes on increasing your taxes when you appointed us to lead you, to work for you, to make sure we’re being good stewards of your money?”

Town Manager Kyle Breuer said the extra revenue will fund new emergency personnel and equipment, something Shugarts also said was important as the town grows.

“It did call for two additional police officers,” Breuer said. “With officers, we also have to equip them to do their job. A hiring plan for our fire department identified a couple of years ago, there’s an additional 12 firefighters that are needed to essentially staff another, another operation.”

But Pattishall, who is a realtor, feels this increase could keep more people from moving to Surf City in the future.

“I think it’s going to squeeze out full-time residents, I really do. I think it would affect, it’s going to affect people moving to the island or thinking that they’re going to retire and live in their beach homes.

Pender County’s next property re-evaluation is in 2026, and Breuer said Surf City could revisit it’s rate for fiscal year 2027, depending on the outcome.