Dear County Commissioners,
Long-term Black-owned Northside properties are drastically overvalued in comparison with investor-owned rentals in the neighborhood and properties in other mostly white, affluent neighborhoods.This will cause an inequitable tax burden on a community already facing enormous economic pressure. In fact, last year nearly 50 elderly households in Northside received additional property tax support from the Northside Neighborhood Initiative. These homeowners are already paying as much as 90% of their annual income on property taxes for homes they have lived in all of their lives. The County’s inequitable burden on these residents negates the important collaborative work between the County, Towns, UNC, and neighborhood organizations to prevent displacement of these long-term residents and preserve the future of this historic community. The fact that a large majority of them spent their lives serving this town and university while facing extreme inequities in pay are now being asked to carry a heavier burden of this County’s tax bill is just flat out wrong.
We are writing to urge you to support efforts to address the concerning systemic inequities identified in property taxation across Northside. Specifically, our coalition is asking for your leadership to ensure the following four demands are met:
- Work with Northside leaders to identify what caused these mistakes in the valuations across Northside. This will help correct these issues systematically and make sure that the inequities in the appraisal assumptions are corrected for future appraisals in Northside and other communities where it might have created similar problems.
- Reduce/correct the property tax valuations for homeowners in Northside in a holistic manner. This should require, at the least:
a) Reducing the over-assessed land value significantly across the board.
b) Differentiating housing values more carefully by type and condition given the conditions of the Northside Conservation District and the extreme differences between the long-term homeowner homes and larger student rental properties. - Extend the timeline for Northside residents to make informal appeals by a month. Less than two weeks to mobilize appeals for hundreds of residents in the midst of a pandemic is not possible, despite ongoing efforts by several local organizations. Additionally, Northside residents should have the opportunity to appeal new corrected values provided by the County.
- Increase County support for neighborhood preservation and retention efforts, including funding for additional capacity for neighborhood organizations working on these issues.
It is unjust and unreasonable to ask hundreds of Northside residents to individually appeal systemic inequities, but any neighborhood-wide corrections should still provide time for individual property owners to have the right to additional appeal. Neighborhood organizations stand ready to support this multi-pronged approach. We understand the urgency and importance of this effort for the County and trust that you will help ensure that the burden of correction on this effort does not fall on those impacted by the County’s oversight.
Signed,
The Marian Cheek Jackson Center
EmPOWERment, Inc.
The Chapel Hill-Carrboro NAACP
Over 550 Orange County community members have added their signatures to this letter:
Joan L. Rehm, Northside neighbor
Kelly Alexander, Northside neighbor
Haley Van Raay, Northside neighbor
Spencer Schold, Northside neighbor
Allison Pagans, Northside neighbor
Sarah Kim, Northside neighbor
Edward Murray IV, Northside neighbor
Gary Richards, Northside neighbor
Lucy Britt, Northside neighbor
Matthew Hayes, Northside neighbor
Lea Ghastine, Northside neighbor
Douglas Bright, Northside neighbor
Eva Elliott, Northside neighbor
Jack Murray, Northside homeowner
Della Pollock, Northside neighbor
Maggie West, Northside neighbor
Inga Morken, Northside neighbor
Elias Gross, Northside neighbor
Elizabeth Symons, Northside neighbor
Seth Murray, Pine Knolls neighbor
Jennie B. Chavis, Pine Knolls neighbor
Beth Flora, Tin Top neighbor
Rob Stephens, Jackson Center Advisory Board Member, National Political Director of Repairers of the Breach and former Northside resident and UNC student
Mae B. McLendon, former Northside resident, former President of the Pine Knolls Community Organization
Cortland Gilliam, MCJC Board member, UNC Ph.D. Student
Mary Beth Johnson, Jackson Center LINK Program
Patricia Toro, Northside Elementary School
Kathryn Cole, Northside Elementary School
Rita M. May, CHALT & Estes neighbors
Inter-Faith Council for Social Service
LGBTQ Pop-up Center of Carrboro
Nancy Garson-Angert, OCDP, Chapel Hill/Carrboro NAACP
Sonia Kathian, NAACP Housing Committee
Donna Carrington, Executive Director, CEF
Rudrateja Komaravolu, CEF
Yvette Mathews, CEF
Diiv Sternman, CEF
Quinton Harper, Activate! IFC
Jackie Jenks, IFC
Pavani Peri, EmPOWERment Inc.
Alice Jacoby, Habitat for Humanity
Kaitlin Hendershot, Habitat for Humanity volunteer
Jessie Floyd, COTAD
Alyssa Gillikin, CHCAE
Affordable Housing Carrboro
L.K. Brown, Baltimore County Board of Education
Wamiq Chowdhury, Chapelboro Democratic Socialists of America
G. S. Jordan, Chapel of the Cross Episcopal Church
Alice Dawson, Chapel of the Cross
Ryan Mills, Well Dot Inc.
Beth Cullette, Well Dot Inc.
Rabbi Jonathan Gerard
Rabbi Jen Feldman
Caroline Englert, Jackson Center Student Leadership Group
Raymond Tu, Jackson Center service partner
Naomi Foust, Jackson Center service partner
Matt Hughes, Hillsborough Commissioner
Heather A. Benjamin, Attorney
Lydia Thomas, UNC student
Paloma Zabala, UNC student
Hope Thomson, UNC student
Caroline Ritchie, UNC Graduate Student
Kate Shurtleff, UNC Law student
Amy Ohara, UNC student
Katherin Harrold
Aleah Walsh
Natalie Gauger
Savannah Shoemake
Adwoa Asare
Beryl Bortey
Micah Brown
Emily Perou
Sarah O’Brien
Kareem Browne
Hannah Snow
Eleanor Murray
Andreina Malki
Michael Ogle
Sarah Jones
Katie Jenifer
Sienna Zuco
Samantha Horn
Olivia Fisher
Chris Bazzarre
Abby Parcell
Jeff Murray
Sally Merryman
Katelyn Campbell
Anneke Oppewal
Jen Snider
Rani Dasi
Griffin Bell
Bridget Pemberton-Smith, Art Therapy Institute, Carrboro Business Alliance
Morphen Phillippi
Alicia Chen, Northside neighbor
Sarah Shapero
Bella Larsen
Christine Siu Abernathy
Emma McCook
Jordan Dalton, Northside/Tin-Top neighbor
Anna Joyce
Patrick Sheegog
Josh Gurlitz
Robin Gurlitz
NAstacia Pereira
Samantha Luu
Edie Fagan
Margaret Krome-Lukens
Crystal Brunson
Margaret Benson Nemitz
Allison Whitenack, Northside neighbor
Julian Taylor
Beverly Rudolph, Carrboro High School Principal
Jamie Fernandez-Schendt
Anna Spencer, Jackson Center
Leigh Fowler
Emily Martin-Hondros
Sandra Peterson
Rachel O’Reilly
Alison Warmkessel
Phoenix Tudryn
Crissy McMurphy
Kathleen Foody
Lena Kantz
Kerri Lemole
Morgan Sennhauser, Northside neighbor
Markus Kitsinger
Gavin Shelton
Crissy
Phoenix Tudryn
Esther Davis
Ann Suk, Northside neighbor
Olivia Brown
Jennifer Painter
Anna O’Connell, CHCCS educator
Amelia Covington, Climate Action NC Field Organizer
Paloma Zabala, UNC student
Sara Moore
Rachel Wilson
E. Lindsley Bowen
Sherose Badruddin
Pema Herr
Hanne Parks
Katarina Holecek
Maggie Dunn
Skye
Ethan Sichel, UNC student
Matthew Greenslade
Carole Labrum
Anne R. Berry
Sandra Brooks
Tyler Walters
Cecelia Moore
Tanya Jisa
Nan Nixon
Kasha Ely, OCDP
Margaret Vimmerstedt
Gregory Neil Jansen
Stephen Smith
Marcia Cordova-Roth
Edel Cordova-Roth
Jonah Garson, OCDP Chair, Chapel Hill-Carrboro NAACP
Anissa Graham-Davis, OCDP, First Vice Chair
Laura M. Clark
Jaaz Catterall
Sue Krebs
Deborah Finn
Dianne Jackson
Jane Hathaway, Director, Orange County Furniture Project
Northside Neighbor
Retired Community Resident
Christy Tate
Tomee Howard
Roshna Bala Keen
Laila Bradford
Martha Schutz
Donna campbell
Damon Seils
Northside neighbor
Billy Jackson
Anna Jackson
Julienne Herrera
Brenda McCall
Susan Yarnell
Robin Mullis
Christian DeJesus
RL Juliano
Yvonne Cleveland
Madison Hayes
Gretchen Mason
Joan Guilkey, Chapel Hill resident
Emma Kashefsky
Olivia Hall
Sophia Lee, UNC student
Samantha Piper
Lisa Lindsay
Trip Renn
Leila Hessini
Morgan Pitelka
Jennifer Bremer
Maxine Mason Huggins
Ricky Pimentel
John Kovalchik
Sean McKeithan
Carol Small
Janet Xiao, Jackson Center
Joel Sronce
Dean Fox
Lucretia Dickson
Patricia Jackson
Joshua Davis
Grace Reavis
Anna Eblen
Kelly Suttles
Coretta Sharpless
Katherine Leith
Nancy Hilburn
Janet Downie
Shannon Janney
Marguerite Most
Katrina Schwartz
Maritza Mendoza
Dr. Yolanda V. Scarlett
Kathryn Wall
Jan Schochet
Bill and Anne Brashear
Wandolyn and Erin Merritt
Paige Holt
Ankita Nandi
Gary Richards
Jude Wierzbicki
Jared Sokolsky
Hazel Pardington
Marit Nelson
Caroline Zhou
Hannah Cullen
Chloe Elbogen
Josh Mayo
Danielle Downing
Maia Donald
Emily Newman
Willa Dong
Kierra Peak
Becky Scheible
Naomi Robalino
Nora Emmott
Monica J. Molina
Simone Frank
Lauri Maerov
Evan Covington Chavez
Margot Lester
Emmeline McManus
Ollie Donald
Karlton Tate
Emily Oglesby
Helen Johnston
Aaron Bachenheimer
Vicki Kowlowitz
Kim Williams
Julia Lawrence
Lilla Duffy
Maggie Springer
Gayle Hartis
Brooke Erceg
Scarlett VanDyke
India Rice
Lance Ashdown
Francis Webb
Martha Schulz
Nancy Tunnessen
Tess Claldini
Cameron Stutts
Gary R. Poole
Tara White
Rachel Cotterman
Emily Whitfield Stupak
Lauren Turner
Madeline Morrissey
Nick Datto
Sue Hunter
Olivia Raines
Dalton Shaw
Phil Morrison
Molly Nguyen
Katie Service
Amy-Jae Rignola Crawford
Austin Vo
Harper Baer
CJ
Tyania Pugh
Rachel T. Levy
Lauren Nichols
Alexis Townsend
Kimathi Muiruri
Matthew Greenslade
Cora Martin, Northside neighbor
Natalie Giduz, Northside neighbor
Skyler Singleton
Victoria Balque-Burns
Jaime Myco Maxwell
Caroline Pence
Noah Upchurch
Zoe Nichols
Jasper Schutt
Peyton Lindogan
Joanna Lee, UNC student
Hannah Jones, UNC student
Madeleine Eldridge
Joal Broun
Morgan Parker
Gina Balamucki
Natalie Hussein
Julia Palawski
Steve Phillips
Michelle Zheng
Hannah Budds
Alison Hilton
Alex Chantilas
Susan Myers
Emily Guck-McGulgan
Chet Makoski
Kathy Krug
Megan Westbrook, Northside neighbor
Amanda Barnes Cook, CHCNAACP
Darian Buck
Victor Costant
Mackenzie Birrenkott
Nicholas Yarger
Andrea Ross, Northside neighbor
Sneha Pasupula, UNC student
Caroline Smith, Northside neighbor
Anna Bradford
Rowan Hunsberger
Elizabeth Knippler
Kai Nilsen
Clive Stevens
Clara Merry
Nina Daye, Northern Orange NAACP, Orange Democratic Party
Kimberly Manning
Angela Guo
Dennis Swatzlander
Christine Krug
Sam Wilson, Northside Elementary School
Alissa Hutto
Snigdha Peddireddy, UNC student
Ann Baker
Joe Blevins
Keith Houck, OCDP
Cheri Bowers, Whitted Bowers Farm
Catherine Zimmer
Isabella Pallotto, Orange County Democrats
Pamela Swanson, Orange County Democrats
Katrina Wesson
Christine Schalkoff
Donna Bergholz
Audrey
Martin Feinstein
Olivia Raufman
Jennifer Selvidge
Tom Trueblood
Harriet Solomon
Sam Anderson
Chase Latour
Mary Figgatt
Margaret Lillie
Diana Montgomery, OCDP Efland Precinct
Alexandra Allman, Third Vice Chair, Orange County Democratic Party
Michelle Larkin
Brent Larkin
Mary C. Kaiser
Anne Wander
Margaret Brown
Nancy Duffner
Kim Talikoff
Shereese Alston
Cindy Morton-Rose
A Chapel Hill resident
Vivian Olkin
James Foushee, Sr.
Opal Patel
Terry Vance
Allison Worthy
Gordon Whitaker
Joey Fink
Juhi Modi, CEF volunteer
Chinwendu Achonu
Lilly Whalen, Northside neighbor
Aislinn Whalen
Carl and Kathleen Hoffman
Theo Egan, UNC student
Robin smith
David Dixon, UNC Department of City and Regional Planning
Kate Milner
Allason Leitz
Eliana Alexander
Martin Hall
Linda Seligman
Justine, Carrboro neighbor
Aubrey Bowers
Ryan Grimm
Ka’Tiera Truett
FI Demo
Sophia bowers
Sol Pederson
Katie Moss
Sonia, NAACP Housing Commission
Nancy White
Molly McConnell
Susan Morance
Diana Koo
Jeffery Beam
Dan Levine
Ryan Lavalley
Afifa Afifi
Edie Poole
Madeline G. Levine
Sue Goodman
Lyn Ferrara
Steven I. Levine
Lindsay Garrison
Lisa Garber
Ti Harmony
Mina Yakubu
Virginia Gray
Carol Marshall
Suzy Khachaturyan
Jonah Garson
Ken and Margie Broun
Yalitza Ramos
Peter Ransdell
Geoffrey Green
Sara Smith
Benjamin Blaisdell
Karin Yeatts
Lisa Dunn
Perri Kersh
Jeffrey Boak
Diane Chapman Willis
Mary Ellen McGuire
Steven Horton
Mandy Monroe
Amy Ryan
Linda K. Brown
Gayle Hartis
Robert Willis
Peter Bileckyj
Tiz Giordano
Aidan Malsbary
Sharon Kolting-Perin
Jennifer Lewis
Roshna Keen
Desiree Cho
Jacqueline Marx
Caroline Zarzar
Colleen Blue
Kiara Thompson
Karin Abell
Brooke Conklin
Michael Peterson
Laura Francini
Priya Sreenivasan
Catherine Fray
Eileen Anderson
Lexie Grove
S. Chandra Friend
Sherry Thomas
Jody Bennett
Nora Harrington
Abigail Grubbs
Elizabeth Whetsell
Kelly McArdie
Victoria Alexander
James Kennon Stuart Smith
Teresa Phan
Mary Kate Shapley Quinn
Gabriella Kluch
Chelsea Ramsey
Rachel Buck
Valerie Bateman
Mary Norris Oglesby
Kelly Allen
Rebecca Vidra
Ellen Royer
Caroline Green
Abigail Benson
Tina Craven
Katta
Mia Colloredo-Mansfeld
Tyania Pugh
Mackenzie Campbell Kopec
Katie Nicholson Maher
Olivia Jenkins
Kyle Gamble
Benjamin Knight
Carol Verner, OCDP
Jan Paris
Tracy Kilpatrick
Perry Smith
Kathleen Anderson, Breastfeed Orange NC
Allison McElvaine
Brian Turbyfill
Rebecca Townsend
Nicole Harmony, Northside homeowner
Julia Cunningham
Claire Paulson
Melissa Lunden
Laura Quinn
Family Reading Partners
Marilyn Carter
Linda Borkowski
Lolette Guthrie
Jane D. Brown
Ken Moore
Bill Balthrop
Sandra Williamson
R. Woodrow Setzer
Jesse Kaufmann
Charles E. Burnham, Ph.D.
Zoe Chernicoff
Garson Angert, OCDP
Susan Romaine
Andrea Vizoso
Jack Knight
Lynn Carswell
Douglas Everett
Dwight Rogers
Allison McElvaine
Cathy Cole
Rani Dasi
Janet L. Flowers
Carrboro Precinct, NCDP
Mellicent Blythe
Carolina Downie
Rebecca Cerese, President of Progressive Democrats of Orange County
Jeff Carmean
Susan Read
Andrew Bales, Tolars Vice Chair
Irene Belle Skowronket
L.M. Tonks, OCDP
Jason Sonnenschein
Katherine Wilson
Jan Paris
Glenda Jones
Anna Levinsohn
Arianna Bara
Wendy Greene
Jane Stein
Eve Meyerson
Maureen Corbett
Caroline Chen, Chapel Hill Youth Council, OCDP Rogers-Eubanks Precinct Leader
Maryann McCullough
Rex Mercer
Charles Mitchell
Vivian Clark
Anne M. Tordi
Becca Zerkin
Paul Offen
Amelia
Elizabeth Gottlin
Laurin Easthorn
Dena Papazoglou, OCDP volunteer
Gina Burns
Geraldine Richards, Northside neighbor
Christine Schalkoff
Smith Construction
Lucy Austin
Beth Donahue
Joan Marie Holland
Susan Savlteer
Kathleen Smith
Bonnie Layman
Ivy Brezina
Lucy Vanderkamp
Vicki M. Hill
Kathy Atwater, Jackson Center
Kathy Klein
Doretha B. Foushee
Kathryn Wall, Jackson Center, Orange County homeowner
Bree Kalb
Sara Roscoe
Leslie Fuquay
Daniel Gulisano
Desiree Cho, Teacher at Northside Elementary and Community Member
Chapel Hill Alliance for a Livable Town
Chad Bryant
Emma Beckham
Kelly Hogan
Frances de Usabel
Donna Parke
Annie Sullivan
Robbie Roberts
Jack Denniston
Shirley Geissinger
Natalie Boorman
Christen Campbell, Northside neighbor, CHCCS teacher
United Church of Chapel Hill
Mary Jenne
Ingrid Schmidt
Kathy Murray, United Church of Chapel Hill
Milada Anna Vachudova
Sharon Hanson
Mary McMillan
Leigh Bradley
Shawna Daniels
Lucy austin
Northside neighbor
Rebecca Johnson
Rebecca Goldsmith
Emily Gvino
T. Powell, Northside Elementary School