By Connie Leinbach
Although Hyde County is proposing to lower the property tax rate to $0.92 per $100 valuation, down from the current rate of $1.045, a revaluation of properties may or may not mean lower tax bills.
This lesser rate is owing to the recent county-wide property revaluation, which has raised the total value of property in Hyde County to $1.395 billion, up from $931.7 million last year.
The budget details and message, read at the May 6 meeting, can be viewed online at www.hydecountync.gov.
A public hearing on the budget will be held at the Monday, June 3. commissioners’ meeting at 6 pm in the Community Center. Additional workshops can be held after the public hearing and prior to the proposed budget adoption on June 10.
In her budget message, Hyde County Manager Kris Noble said the county is completing its first reappraisal in eight years, which is required by law.
“At the time of the last reappraisal in 2016, market values were depressed,” she wrote in her message, but a recent study of Hyde County’s newly appraised values show a majority of properties being assessed at approximately 60% of their actual market values.
The new revaluation will appraise properties at 100%, said Donnie Shumate, Hyde County PIO.
Previously, each penny of ad valorem property tax earned $88,359, Noble said. With the new valuations, each penny of ad valorem property tax is expected to earn approximately $126,557.
That means that the county can figure on more money for services, and this year’s general fund budget calls for $18.60 million in expenses, up from $17.1 million last year, said Corrinne Gibbs, finance director.
Randal Mathews, Ocracoke’s county commissioner, said the budget adds $471,000 to the EMS budget to provide more pay and supervision. The county got three new vehicles last year.
“Over the last year, we have had numerous instances where coverage was not adequate and this budget does reflect changes to improve coverage,” Noble said in her message.
Along with an increase in pay for deputies, Noble recommends that the Sheriff’s Department get a new position of deputy emergency manager and fire marshal.
“Hyde County has the highest number of declared emergencies and hurricane impacts than any other county in the state of North Carolina and ranks number 2 across the country,” she said.
According to Noble’s budget statement, Hyde County is out of compliance with the Local Government Commission (LCG) as required under G.S. 159-34(a), which requires municipalities to submit an annual audit report within nine months of the county’s fiscal year end.
Because the county has been noncompliant for several years, it was placed on a Unit Assistance list. Collaborations with North Carolina Association of County Commissioners suggested that Hyde add to its finance staff and the budget recommendation includes adding an account technician to the payroll along with the grants administrator.
Noble’s message has the following as goals:
- Citizen access to trusted public safety services including emergency medical services, sheriff’s office, emergency management and fire services;
- Innovative and comprehensive water and flood control measures;
- Ensuring access along roadways and through our waterways;
- And economic and community development projects funded creatively from federal and state resources including but not limited to grants and leveraged cooperatively with other agencies.
