In the wake of Tropical Storm Helene, employees at Buncombe County’s tax department have been on the front lines, working at water distribution sites, assisting the emergency operations center, and, most critically, conducting damage assessments across the region. As the county grapples with the storm’s impact, these tax assessors are tasked with evaluating the damage to more than 130,000 properties, providing crucial data that will help shape future property tax valuations.
“This is a major data collection project,” said Eric Cregger, Buncombe County’s interim tax assessor. “That right now is the biggest task we have.”
Damage Assessments Across Buncombe County
With the extent of the storm’s damage still unknown, Cregger’s team is out in the field, documenting the physical condition of properties throughout Buncombe County. The information collected will not only provide a clearer picture of the devastation caused by Helene but will also play a critical role in determining changes to property values that could affect future tax bills.
Any new property valuations stemming from the storm’s impact will be based on the county’s 2021 schedule of values, not the recently adopted 2025 schedule, which is currently under review. At the county’s October 15 meeting, commissioners will vote on a resolution to delay the 2025 reappraisal by one year due to the storm.
The Challenges of Tax Appraisal After a Disaster
Even under normal circumstances, reappraisal is a challenging task. It requires assessors to account not only for the physical condition of properties but also the economic health of the county. Following a natural disaster, the complexity of this work increases exponentially.
“This can be heartbreaking, emotional work,” said Kirk Boone, an associate professor at the UNC School of Government and an expert in tax appraisal and assessment. Boone, who is originally from Spruce Pine in Western North Carolina, has seen the devastation firsthand. After Tropical Storm Helene hit, he traveled to the area to bring his 80-year-old mother to safety after blocked roads and disrupted phone service left her stranded.
“There’s a concentrated disaster area from Haywood County north to parts of Watauga, and south to Chimney Rock in Rutherford County,” Boone explained. “Some of the counties say it’s so bad, it’s hard to know exactly where to start.”
Outside Help and Looking Ahead to 2025
Given the scale of the destruction, Boone noted that counties severely impacted by the storm will likely rely on outside assessors from coastal regions of North Carolina, who have experience conducting damage assessments after hurricanes. These experts will assist local teams in evaluating the damage and ensuring that the affected properties are properly assessed.
Despite the overwhelming challenges, the focus for Buncombe County’s tax assessors remains clear: get the values right. Cregger’s team is determined to make sure that any changes to properties are accurately documented and that adjustments are made as necessary.
“Our primary focus is to get these values correct for 2025,” Cregger said, emphasizing the importance of ensuring that all storm-related changes are properly accounted for.
