Sticker Shock…..New Tax Appraisals Mailed Out This Week.

Posted on March 6, 2023 by Deborah Keller

So the new real estate appraisals for Rutherford County were mailed out this week. If you have not seen yours yet be prepared for quite a shock. They have all increased dramatically with some even doubling in appraised valve.

Why does this matter so much? Well the higher the appraisal the higher the county taxes you for your property. Many people here live on a low or fixed income and have difficulty meeting their monthly expenses as it is. The price of everything has gone up and now they must choose between possibly food, healthcare of their house.

Property values are decreasing around the country due to the recession and increased interest on loan rates. Property has been on a rapid rise but now it is dropping and expected to continue to drop.

We do not live in an urban area nor do we live in an area where jobs are plentiful and well paying. Every dollar matters here and when something takes those dollars it has a serious effect on not only families but businesses that depend on them to spend there dollars with them.

So, is there anything you can do? Well to start you can attend Commissioner’s meeting and speak out about this. You can demand that they stay revenue neutral. “Revenue Neutral” means that when your appraised value goes up the tax rate goes down to maintain the same amount of revenue for the county as the previous year.

Also you can contact your County Commissioners via email or call 828-287-6060 and leave a message. The Rutherford County Tax Office has frequently asked questions about appraisals that you can see by clicking here. Their email address is assessor@rutherfordcountync.gov or call 828-287-6355.

You may appeal the value of your house or land by writing your concerns to the Rutherford County Assessor, 125 W 3rd St., Rutherfordton, NC 28139. After they receive your request for appeal, an appraiser from their office will review your request.

You may also file an Informal Appeal Form. (click here for link to form) If you wish to appeal the value of this notice, you must complete the form and return by mail postmarked within 30 days from the date of the notice you received, by mail or by fax. Rutherford County reappraisal personnel will review your assessed value based upon information provided on this form.

A change in value will be considered if the owner can demonstrate that the assessed value is not fair market value as of 01/01/2023 or is inconsistent with the value of similar property. Appeals will be reviewed in the order they are received. An appeal/review may result in the assessed value being: (1) unchanged, (2) reduced or (3) increased in value.

Please remember you MUST do this within thirty (30) days of receiving your new appraisal.

There are other recourses for property tax relief if you meet the criteria. They are listed below, click blue link for form:

Form AV9 Application for Elderly Exclusion, Disabled Veteran Exclusion, or Circuit Breaker Deferment (ANNUAL application required for Circuit Breaker Deferment, all other exclusions are a one time application)
Form AV9A Certification of Disability
Form NCDVA9 Certification for Disabled Veterans

Applications for property tax exclusions or deferment deadline is JUNE 1st of each year.

Please be aware of deadlines and have your all your paperwork submitted as the deadlines are absolute.

Spectrum Awarded GREAT Grant for Rutherford County, North Carolina

Posted on September 25, 2022 by Press Release

$13.5 Million Buildout Would Connect Nearly 3,000 Homes and Small Businesses to Gigabit Broadband with Starting Speeds of 300 Mbps

ASHEVILLE, N.C. — Spectrum today announced it has been awarded a North Carolina Growing Rural Economies with Access to Technology (GREAT) Program grant of $4 million to bring gigabit high-speed internet access to nearly 3,000 homes and small businesses in Rutherford County. Combined with the state grant of $4 million and a contribution from Rutherford County of $1 million, total project investment, including more than $8.5 million from Spectrum, is more than $13.5 million.

“All North Carolina communities, families and businesses need access to reliable and affordable high-speed internet,” said North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper. “This round of grants means more North Carolinians will be able to take advantage of opportunities to learn, work, access health care and connect to the world.”

The GREAT grant is one of 20 already awarded to Spectrum to expand fiber-optic broadband infrastructure to areas of the state that currently lack access to high-speed connections. The company is awaiting review of 41 additional GREAT proposals that, if awarded, would bring broadband to an additional 57,000 homes and small businesses in 41 counties across North Carolina, which has the second-largest rural population of any state.

“I understand how important broadband access is for our families and small businesses,” said state Rep. Jake Johnson. “I’m thrilled the state legislature allocated funding for Rutherford County to work with providers to bring high-speed internet to unserved parts of the county.”

“Nearly three thousand households and businesses will soon have access to high-speed internet thanks to the state’s GREAT Grant program and Rutherford County’s partnership with broadband provider, Spectrum,” said Rutherford County Chairman Bryan A. King. This is a historic investment for our communities and we’re ready to hit the ground running to help close the digital divide.”

Spectrum is already North Carolina’s largest broadband provider, serving 2.8 million customers and employing nearly 11,000 residents in the state.

“Gov. Cooper, his administration and the North Carolina Legislature have shown tremendous leadership in embracing public-private partnerships as a vital strategy for connecting unserved communities,” said Brian Gregory, Vice President of Government Affairs at Charter. “We applaud Rutherford County officials for contributing to this project to make a meaningful difference for residents. We also commend the Legislature and Cooper administration for their support of a $100 million utility pole replacement fund as part of the state’s broadband strategy, which is paying off with significant interest and investment. In all, Spectrum proposed 60 broadband projects across 60 counties and $190 million in investment, thanks to the positive regulatory climate and investment in pole infrastructure.”

GREAT Program grants further expand Spectrum’s rural construction initiative, the centerpiece of which is the company’s approximately $5 billion investment in unserved rural communities, which includes more than $1 billion won in the Federal Communications Commission’s (FCC) Rural Digital Opportunity Fund (RDOF) auction. The company’s RDOF expansion will provide broadband access to approximately 1 million customer locations as estimated by the FCC across 24 states — including more than 125,000 locations in North Carolina — in the coming years. Combined, Spectrum’s GREAT Program grant and RDOF buildouts in Rutherford County will connect more than 8,500 homes and small businesses.

Spectrum Internet^® has been consecutively ranked as one of the best internet service providers by U.S. News & World Report, and also earned the highest rating among the Best Internet Service Providers for Rural Areas, underscoring an ongoing commitment to connecting more communities from coast to coast. Spectrum Internet^® also exceeded advertised download and upload speeds for all tiers measured — even during peak weeknight usage between 7 and 11 p.m. — according to the FCC’s most recent “Measuring Broadband America Fixed Broadband Report” issued in December 2021.

Broadband Speeds up to 1 Gbps, Plus Money-Saving Mobile Options and 85,000 On Demand Choices

Spectrum offers customers a best in class suite of products, highlighted by Spectrum Internet^® plans with speeds up to 1 Gbps for both residential customers and small business clients, starting speeds of 300 Mbps and no modem fees, data caps or contracts. Spectrum was also a day one participant in the Federal Communications Commission’s (FCC) Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP), which makes quality, high-speed internet service available at a low — or even at no — cost to eligible families in financial need. All Spectrum Internet plans are eligible for ACP credits.

Along with multiple broadband options, Spectrum services will also include Spectrum TV^® and Spectrum Mobile^™ in Rutherford County.

Spectrum Mobile, available exclusively to Spectrum Internet customers, combines the fastest overall speeds^* with the best devices and a choice of Unlimited or By the Gig data plans. Spectrum Mobile provides customers the highest-quality experience, including access to nationwide 5G, at great value (two or more lines starting at $29.99 a month, saving customers up to $1,000 a year^**). Spectrum TV offers more than 200 HD channels and access to 85,000 On Demand movies and shows. Using the Spectrum TV App, viewers can stream content across a growing number of platforms, including iOS and Android mobile devices, Xbox One, Kindle Fire, Samsung Smart TVs, Apple TV, Google Chromecast, Roku and PCs.

^* Fastest Overall Speeds claim based on Global Wireless Solutions’ combined cellular and WiFi speed test results in Spectrum service area where WiFi is available. Cellular speeds vary by location.

^** Savings based on 2-line comparison of unlimited plans among major national carriers as of 09/2021; prepaid excluded; data usage limits vary by carrier. Spectrum Internet required. Services not available in all areas. Restrictions apply.

About Spectrum

Spectrum is a suite of advanced communications services offered by Charter Communications, Inc. (NASDAQ:CHTR), a leading broadband connectivity company and cable operator serving more than 32 million customers in 41 states. Over an advanced communications network, the company offers a full range of state-of-the-art residential and business services including Spectrum Internet^®, TV, Mobile and Voice.

For small and medium-sized companies, Spectrum Business^® delivers the same suite of broadband products and services coupled with special features and applications to enhance productivity, while for larger businesses and government entities, Spectrum Enterprise provides highly customized, fiber-based solutions. Spectrum Reach^® delivers tailored advertising and production for the modern media landscape. The company also distributes award-winning news coverage, sports and high-quality original programming to its customers through Spectrum Networks and Spectrum Originals. More information about Charter can be found at corporate.charter.com.

Shoring up Lake Tomahawk dam with ARPA funds

Posted on April 14, 2022 by Carolina Public Press

Black Mountain hopes to extend life of 90-year-old earthen dam using $300k from its share of America Rescue Plan Act money.

by Shelby Harris April 13, 2022
Carolina Public Press

Pedestrians cross the footbridge over the dam spillway at Black Mountain’s Lake Tomahawk on April 7. Colby Rabon / Carolina Public Press

Another small town is doing big things with federal COVID relief money.

Following suit with nearby Western North Carolina municipalities of similar sizes, Black Mountain is using its American Rescue Plan Act money to make much-needed infrastructure repairs.

Specifically, the town is planning to use more than $300,000 of its ARPA funds to pay for improvements to the Lake Tomahawk dam, Black Mountain Town Manager Josh Harrold said.

Framed with a fishing pier, playground and tennis courts, Lake Tomahawk is a popular visitor attraction in Black Mountain, which is in eastern Buncombe County. Town officials, however, have been cognizant of impending issues with the 8.9-acre lake — specifically its 90-year-old earthen dam.

“It doesn’t meet today’s standards, of course,” Harrold said about the dam, which the U.S. Civilian Conservation Corps built in the 1930s.

“The engineering standards have changed, so now we’ve got to come in and do a little bit of work on the dam to reinforce its face.”

Necessary repairs to aging infrastructure
While the N.C. Department of Environmental Quality deemed the Lake Tomahawk dam “high-risk” because of its potential to flood downstream through the Tomahawk Branch, Harrold said the structure doesn’t spark any immediate concern for public safety.

Even so, the DEQ advised Black Mountain to hire engineers to study what repairs the dam needs. In summer 2021, the town hired Buncombe-based engineering firm S&ME to inspect the dam and plan the project.

“The engineers we hired said we really needed to shore it up and do some work,” Mayor Larry Harris said. “It’s not an emergency, but it does have to be done.”

While S&ME is still in the planning phases of Lake Tomahawk’s dam repairs, the improvements will likely consist of installing drains to address water seepage and adding more soil and rock materials to reinforce the earthen dam, according to an S&ME initial report.

Harrold said the town hopes to have construction underway by the end of summer.

An earthen dam built in the 1930s creates Black Mountain’s Lake Tomahawk in eastern Buncombe County. Colby Rabon / Carolina Public Press

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Since the dam was artificially made, it will likely continue to require improvements, but the repairs funded by ARPA should keep the scenic park open to visitors for several years.

“Doing this work will essentially prolong the life of this dam for many years to come,” Harrold said. “I think it’s really going to look nicer than it does when (the repairs) are done.”

Using ARPA for dam repairs
Improving infrastructure is one of the acceptable uses for ARPA money, according to the U.S. Department of the Treasury, which distributed the funds to towns based on population.

Signed into law in spring 2021, the American Rescue Plan Act reserved billions of dollars to be used to help the nation recover from the COVID-19 pandemic. Beginning in May 2021, the U.S. Treasury Department began disbursing money to individual governments, which are tasked with choosing which projects or programs to fund.

Black Mountain chose to use its ARPA money for Lake Tomahawk dam repairs shortly after receiving the first half of its roughly $2.6 million in August 2021. Harris said the decision to use the funds in part for dam improvements was unanimous.

Lake Tomahawk, in the town of Black Mountain in eastern Buncombe County, was created when the Civilian Conservation Corps built an earthen dam in the 1930s. The lake provides a habitat for wildlife, including these ducks near the dam spillway on April 7. Colby Rabon / Carolina Public Press
While WNC’s larger cities and counties have opted to use the funds to expand broadband and fund local nonprofits, several smaller municipalities have latched onto ARPA as a source to fund large infrastructure projects.

The city of Brevard plans to use its one-time ARPA funds to enhance its stormwater system and expand waterlines, and Lake Lure will use its federal allocation to start work on a new sewer system.

Black Mountain’s only other plan for its ARPA money is to replace a major waterline that is more than 50 years old. By improving the aged line, Harrold said, the town will be able to add more connecting waterlines as the city grows.

Plans for the waterline are in even earlier phases than the dam repairs. The Black Mountain Town Council is still in the process of hiring an engineering firm to tackle the waterline project. Per U.S. Treasury guidelines, all ARPA money must be allocated by December 2024 and spent by December 2026.

Black Mountain’s remaining $1.3 million ARPA funding will be distributed this summer.

The town is still tossing around ideas for how to use the rest of the federal money and will look for community input as town officials plan further. Both Harris and Harrold said improving recreational facilities, such as tennis and pickleball courts, are being considered.

Some NC agencies slow to turn over details of leaders’ daily schedules

Posted on March 16, 2022 by Carolina Public Press

Sunshine Week project examines responsiveness and transparency of top state officials receiving requests for records.

by NC Watchdog Reporting Network March 15, 2022

Gov. Roy Cooper and legislative leaders conduct a rare joint and bipartisan press conference Monday to announce passage of coronavirus response legislation. Photo courtesy of the governor's office. — Gov. Roy Cooper and legislative leaders conduct a rare joint and bipartisan press conference in May 2020 to announce passage of coronavirus response legislation. Photo courtesy of the governor’s office.

Jan. 4, 2021, was a busy day for Gov. Roy Cooper.

It was the first business day of the year, just days before he was sworn in officially for his second term as governor.

Cooper’s workday started with an 8:30 a.m. cabinet meeting, followed by a call on COVID-19, a meeting with then-Secretary of Health and Human Services Dr. Mandy Cohen and a meeting with Chief of Staff Kristi Jones.

All before lunch.

But publicly, Cooper’s office released a calendar with few details.

“Throughout the day, Gov. Cooper will be holding meetings and conducting other business,” his office said in an email sent to news media the day before.

It’s a sentence his office uses frequently.

An analysis of Cooper’s public schedule shows his staff included only this single line — that he was “holding meetings and conducting other business” — for half the working days in 2021.

Opaque details like the public schedule released by the governor’s office underscore the need for the public to have access to calendars for the state’s top executives, transparency advocates say. Such documents can provide valuable insight into the daily work of the state’s most powerful officials — and the work they do on the public’s behalf.

“We want to know what public officials and representatives of the people of North Carolina do with their time, and so one of the ways that we can find that out is by looking at how they build their calendars and how much time they spend on different aspects of their public works,” Brooks Fuller, an attorney who runs the N.C. Open Government Coalition, said in an interview.

“The calendar is one window into that. Some people keep really good ones, and some people don’t keep them at all.”

For Sunshine Week, an annual celebration of open government, the N.C. Watchdog Reporting Network requested the calendars of the state’s top leaders. That included members of the Council of State — the 10 statewide elected executive officials — and each of the cabinet secretaries who run state agencies in Cooper’s administration.

The goal was to gauge how willing government leaders were to let the public see what they do on a daily basis.

Results varied widely. Reporters obtained calendars for all 20 state leaders whose schedules they requested.

Staff for some leaders responded swiftly.

A spokeswoman for Commissioner of Agriculture Steve Troxler, for instance, sent his calendar within hours of receiving the request.

Staff for N.C. Department of Transportation Secretary Eric Boyette and Commissioner of Labor Josh Dobson sent their calendars within days.

But others took nearly two months to produce the same information.

Cooper’s office produced his calendar on March 10, the same day that the N.C. Department of Health and Human Services staff produced the calendar for Cohen.

Staff for Secretary of Commerce Machelle Sanders produced her calendar on March 11.

A spokeswoman for Cooper defended the governor’s handling of his schedule and the length of time it took to release his calendar.

“Our office posts public events on the daily public schedule and works to release public records in a timely manner,” Deputy Communications Director Mary Scott Winstead said in a statement.

As of March 14, Attorney General Josh Stein’s office had produced only half of his calendar. Spokeswoman Nazneen Ahmed said the office has seen an influx in public records requests, which delayed its response.

“In the past six months, our office has received 145 public records requests, and to date, we’ve responded to 114 of those requests,” Ahmed said in an email.

She did not provide statistics for previous periods to compare the current volume of requests. But Ahmed said some records — like this one for the calendar of the state’s top lawyer — take longer to review.

“Because our office serves as legal counsel to other state agencies and Attorney General Stein’s calendar includes private, privileged information, we must conduct a full review for content and materials that cannot be shared publicly,” Ahmed said in an email.

Fuller, the open-government coalition attorney, said disclosing public employees’ calendars should be straightforward.

“A calendar is a pretty easy control/print function to turn that document into a record that can be disseminated to media outlets or any interested citizen,” Fuller said.

Some agencies made substantial redactions to their leader’s calendar.

Secretary of State Elaine Marshall’s spokeswoman said the calendar produced for Marshall contained a number of personal appointments that are not subject to the Public Records Act.

A lawyer for the N.C. Department of Public Safety claimed the calendars for then-Secretary Erik Hooks and current Secretary Eddie Buffaloe contained numerous entries that qualify as personnel information.

For Cooper, his calendar provided some lighthearted insight, too. Each UNC basketball game was noted on his calendar, with opponent and location.

This story was jointly reported and edited by Laura Lee, Kate Martin, Frank Taylor and Jordan Wilkie of Carolina Public Press; Sara Coello of The Charlotte Observer; Tyler Dukes and Lucille Sherman of The News & Observer; Cathy Clabby of The Charlotte Observer and The News & Observer; Nick Ochsner of WBTV; Michael Praats of WECT; Travis Fain and Ali Ingersoll of WRAL; and Jason deBruyn of WUNC.

NC WATCHDOG REPORTING NETWORK

The NC Watchdog Reporting Network is a cooperative effort of investigative journalists representing seven news organizations across North Carolina. Participants include Carolina Public Press, the Charlotte Observer, the News and Observer, WBTV, WECT, WRAL and WUNC. Email CPP’s news team at info@carolinapublicpress.org to contact the NC Watchdog Reporting Network.