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.

Veterans Day…. Why It Matters.

Posted on November 11, 2022 by Deborah Keller

11-11-22

Today is Veterans Day. It is a day we stop as a nation and say thank-you to all who have served with the US Military. “As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by them.” –John F. Kennedy

Veterans Day celebrates the service of all United States military veterans, while Memorial Day honors those who have died while in military service. Armed Forces Day, which also occurs in May, honors those currently serving in the US military.

The first celebration using the term Veterans Day occurred in Birmingham, Alabama, in 1947. A World War II veteran, Raymond Weeks, organized “National Veterans Day,” which included a parade and other festivities, to honor all veterans. This was held on November 11, which was called Armistice Day at the time. The name Veterans Day itself did not officially come into being until 1954.

World War I officially ended with the signing of the Treaty of Versailles on June 28, 1919. However, the fighting ended about seven months before that. The Allies and Germany put into effect an armistice on the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month. Nov. 11, 1918, was largely considered the end of “the war to end all wars” and dubbed Armistice Day.

In 1926, Congress officially recognized it as the end of the war, and in 1938, it became an official holiday, primarily a day set aside to honor veterans of World War I.

Then World War II and the Korean War happened, so on June 1, 1954 Congress amended the commemoration yet again by changing the word “Armistice” to “Veterans” so the day would honor American veterans of all wars.

“A lot of people think it’s “Veteran’s Day” or “Veterans’ Day,” but they’re wrong. The holiday is not a day that “belongs” to one veteran or multiple veterans, which is what an apostrophe implies. It’s a day for honoring ALL veterans …. so no apostrophe needed.”

In 1968 Congress signed the Uniform Holiday Bill to ensure that a few federal holidays, Veterans Day included, would be celebrated on a Monday. Officials hoped it would spur travel and other family activities over a long weekend, which would stimulate the economy.

The bill set Veterans Day for the fourth Monday of every October. On Oct. 25, 1971, the first Veterans Day under this new bill was held. It took three years to implement this change, but not surprisingly, there was a lot of confusion about the date change, and many states were unhappy, choosing to continue to recognize the day on November the 11^th.

Within a few years, most U.S. citizens made the government aware that they wanted to celebrate Veterans Day on Nov. 11, since it was a matter of historic and patriotic significance.

So on Sept. 20, 1975, President Gerald Ford signed Public Law 94-97, which returned the annual observance to its original date starting in 1978.

World War I was a multinational effort, so our allies also wanted to celebrate their veterans on Nov. 11. The name of the day and the types of commemorations do differ.

Canada and Australia both call Nov. 11th “Remembrance Day.” Canada’s observance is pretty similar to ours, except many of its citizens wear red poppy flowers to honor their war dead. In Australia, the day is celebrated more like our Memorial Day. Great Britain calls it “Remembrance Day” also, but observes it on the Sunday closest to Nov. 11 with parades, services and two minutes of silence in London to honor those who lost their lives in wa

“Never was so much owed by so many to so few.” -Winston Churchill

On this day we not only should take time to remember but to thank those who served in the military. This is why you see so many “Veterans Specials” at restaurants and businesses around the country.

Douglas MacArthur said “Duty, honor, country: Those three hallowed words reverently dictate what you ought to be, what you can be, what you will be.”

Here in American we take the day off, there are parades that honor those who served but let us not forget to take the time to personally thank any veterans that we know for defending the right to freedom that we all enjoy.

In the words of Lee Greenwood’s famous song God Bless The USA “I’m proud to be an American, where at least I know I’m free. And I won’t forget the men who died, who gave that right to me.”

May we never forget all then men and women who served…… Thank you Veterans!

Fort Liberty: Divided views on changing Fort Bragg’s name

Posted on July 13, 2022 by Carolina Public Press

Fort Bragg may soon go by another name: Fort Liberty.

In last year’s National Defense Authorization Act, Congress charged the Naming Commission with renaming any military installation whose name commemorates the Confederacy.

Fort Bragg is named after North Carolina native Braxton Bragg, a Confederate general and slave owner prior to the Civil War.

The Naming Commission released the potential new name of Fort Bragg, along with eight other military installation names that commemorate the Confederacy, in April.

In October, the commission will present the new names to Congress for review, after which the U.S. Department of Defense will implement the new names by Jan. 1, 2024, per the federal legislation.

According to documents from the Naming Commission, Liberty was chosen as a name due to its value being “more essential to the United States of America and the history of its military” than any other.