Why do taxes and mortgages have to be paid on destroyed properties? Why aren’t students making up lost time from Helene? Tree cutting on I-40? • Asheville Watchdog
Question: Why do property taxes and mortgages for Buncombe County homes and residences destroyed by Hurricane Helene, and which no longer exist, have to continue to be paid?
My answer: Ben Franklin pretty much summed this up when he said, “Nothing is certain except death and taxes.” Brilliant man, except for that stint flying a kite in an electrical storm. Seems like there had to be an easier way to learn about electricity.
Real answer: This question is a fair one to ask, in my opinion, as I’ve talked with a few people who are paying mortgages on properties that aren’t there or were heavily damaged.
But as with just about everything in life, it gets more complicated than you might think.
Buncombe County spokesperson Kassi Day said the county has gotten “lots of questions surrounding the delinquency date for 2024 tax bills. Tax bills that became delinquent on Jan. 6 were 2024 tax bills for property values as of Jan. 1, 2024,” Day said via email.
“Those bills were due in early September and became delinquent on Jan. 6,” Day said. “North Carolina law does not allow any county to extend the date payments are due, or stop, adjust, or postpone the date interest starts to accrue on bills deemed past due.”
Day said the county understands this “might be frustrating and complicated and our team wanted to make sure people knew about payment arrangements that might be available.
“North Carolina state law also prohibits any county from having any flexibility to waive or prorate taxes — even after a natural disaster,” Day said. “However, property that is damaged due to Helene and still damaged as of Jan. 1, 2025, will see a reduction in 2025’s taxable value. Our assessment team is working hard to survey damaged areas so values can be updated to reflect the current situation.”
A home, a utility pole and trees all stand askew in Swannanoa following Helene. // Watchdog photo by Starr Sariego
Day said the county has been encouraging residents to report damaged property on the county web page dedicated to property damage.
Day also cited a recent UNC-Chapel Hill School of Government blog by Chris McLaughlin that notes, “Damage to property that occurs after January 1 will be reflected in the taxable value of that property for the following year’s taxes. Buildings that remain damaged or destroyed as of January 1, 2025 will be reappraised and taxed at a lower value (or zero value) for 2025-26 taxes.”
Regarding mortgages, that’s not a county function but one of banks, mortgage lenders and the federally backed mortgage system known as Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae. These are government-backed entities that buy mortgages from lenders, then package them into securities for investors.
USA.gov has a page on mortgage help and home repairs after a disaster that states, “You must continue to pay your mortgage, even if a disaster damages your home. Contact your mortgage servicer if you are unable to pay. Ask your servicer if you qualify for mortgage forbearance.”
Forbearance, according to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, “is a process that can help if you’re struggling to pay your mortgage. Your servicer or lender arranges for you to temporarily pause mortgage payments or make smaller payments. You still owe the full amount, and you pay back the difference later.”
I scoured several other online sources and spoke with a local mortgage broker about this, and the upshot is: your mortgage is a legally binding contract for you to repay a loan. Basically, you are on the hook for that money.
If hundreds or thousands or tens of thousands of borrowers decided to stop paying their mortgages on destroyed homes, that would have a cascading effect on banks and ultimately Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae. That could lead to the banks or federal lending institutions becoming insolvent, which is similar to what happened leading up to the Great Recession of 2008-09 when hundreds of thousands of homeowners realized they owed way more than their homes were worth and just walked away from their debts.
Amber and Trevor Ballew stand near the wreckage of their home in Fairview. The couple still has to pay the mortgage on the house they bought a month before the storm. // Watchdog photo by Starr Sariego
I can see where it certainly feels unfair to have to continue paying on a home that’s destroyed, but as the mortgage broker told me, if you borrowed for a new car and it got totaled and your insurance was inadequate, you’d be on the hook for that, too.
It’s also worth noting that FEMA does offer the Hazard Mitigation Program, administered by the state of North Carolina, that can buy your damaged home outright, or pay to have it elevated or rebuilt at a higher level. I wrote about this in November when FEMA announced the plan locally.
I’m also hopeful that among the hundreds of millions of dollars flowing into our community that some of it will be earmarked to help homeowners who are caught in this situation. In the meantime, keep in mind that not paying your mortgage can lead to a badly damaged credit rating and could have negative long-term financial ramifications.
Question: I just found out that the decision was made not to make up the time kids missed school due to Helene. Can you please explain what was the rationale for that? I understand that they don’t have to make up the time if it is less than 20 days. I would have thought educators would want to make up the time.
My answer: I mean, who doesn’t want to work more?
Real answer: The missed time will not be made up, as the reader noted.
“Unfortunately, we cannot make the days up,” Kimberly Dechant, chief of staff with Asheville City Schools, told me via email. “The General Assembly voted to forgive the days missed due to Hurricane Helene in the first Hurricane Relief Bill passed by the North Carolina General Assembly, as well as pay all staff during that time.”
Dechant noted that 10-month employees can only work and be paid for 215 days.
In a recent letter sent to school families and staff, Asheville City Schools noted that North Carolina law requires that the school year start no earlier than the Monday closest to Aug. 26 and end no later than the Friday closest to June 11. The state also requires systems to observe at least 11 holidays.
Also, the state requires a minimum of 1,025 Instructional hours, or 185 days. Under a normal calendar year, ACS exceeds this, with 1,094.4 hours at the elementary level and 1,170 hours at the secondary level.
The letter also noted that state law typically allows for up to five virtual learning days during inclement weather.
“However, in response to Hurricane Helene during the 2024-2025 school year, House Bill 149 granted an additional 30 remote instruction days or 180 remote instruction hours to affected districts,” the letter states. “These days are in addition to the forgiven instructional days missed in September and October.”
Buncombe County Schools, at its Oct. 18 school board meeting, also discussed the lost time issue and cited the state law and its requirements in similar calendar decisions.
Question: Any idea why NCDOT has decided to start doing tree removal on 40 (between exits 50-59) in the last week? It doesn’t look like “urgent” removal (not blocking the roads at all), but has caused major slowdowns in the afternoon in each direction as they block off a lane each time. Y’know, we really need more traffic on our roads that are open right now — especially from about 3-5pm.
My answer: I detect some serious snark near the end of this question. That’s my territory, bub!
Real answer: “The tree debris removal work on I-40 between exits 50-59 is part of the Hurricane Helene cleanup effort,” Chris Medlin, district engineer with the NCDOT’s Asheville office, said via email. “The tree removal process requires workers to load tree debris material within five feet of an open travel lane. Per NCDOT policy, that requires closing the adjacent travel lane for the safety of workers and drivers.”
The good news is this work, which began in early November, should wrap up by the end of January, Medlin said.
Asheville Watchdog is a nonprofit news team producing stories that matter to Asheville and Buncombe County. Got a question? Send it to John Boyle at jboyle@avlwatchdog.org or 828-337-0941. His Answer Man columns appear each Tuesday and Friday. The Watchdog’s reporting is made possible by donations from the community. To show your support for this vital public service go to avlwatchdog.org/support-our-publication/.
www.thecentersquare.com – By Alan Wooten | The Center Square – (The Center Square – ) 2025-05-01 08:16:00
(The Center Square) – Taxpayers in North Carolina will face an average tax increase of $2,382 if the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act expires at the end of the year, says the National Taxpayers Union Foundation.
Results of analysis were released Thursday morning by the nonprofit organization billing itself a “nonpartisan research and educational affiliate of the National Taxpayers Union.” Its four state neighbors were similar, with South Carolina lower ($2,319) and higher averages in Virginia ($2,787), Georgia ($2,680) and Tennessee ($2,660).
The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of eight years ago was a significant update to individual and business taxes in the federal tax code. According to the Tax Foundation, it was considered pro-growth reform with an estimate to reduce federal revenue by $1.47 trillion over a decade.
Should no action be taken before Jan. 1 and the act expire, the federal standard deduction would be halved; the federal child tax credit would decrease; higher federal tax brackets would return; the federal estate tax threshold will be lower; and some business tax benefits will be gone.
The foundation, in summarizing the impact on North Carolina business expensing, says the state conforms to Section 168(k). This means “only 60% expensing for business investments this year and less in future years. State policymakers could adopt 100% full expensing, particularly since the state conforms to the Section 163(j) limit on interest expense and the two provisions were meant to work together.”
The foundation says business net operation loss treatment policies in the state “are less generous than the federal government and impose compliance costs due to lack of synchronization with the federal code and are uncompetitive with most other states.”
The National Taxpayers Union Foundation also says lawmakers “should at least be conscious of any retroactive provisions when selecting their date of fixed conformity.” North Carolina is among 21 states conforming to the federal income tax base “only as of a certain date” rather than automatically matching federal tax code changes – meaning definitions, calculations or rules.
The foundation said nationally the average filer will see taxes raised $2,955. It estimates an increase for 62% of Americans. The biggest average increases by state are in Massachusetts ($4,848), Washington ($4,567) and Wyoming ($4,493) and the lowest are in West Virginia ($1,423), Mississippi ($1,570) and Kentucky ($1,715).
Individual wages, nationally, are expected to go down 0.5%, reducing economic growth by 1.1% over 10 years.
Note: The following A.I. based commentary is not part of the original article, reproduced above, but is offered in the hopes that it will promote greater media literacy and critical thinking, by making any potential bias more visible to the reader –Staff Editor.
Political Bias Rating: Center-Right
The content primarily reports on the potential impact of the expiration of the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, relying heavily on analysis from the National Taxpayers Union Foundation, which describes itself as a nonpartisan organization but is known to advocate for lower taxes and limited government intervention, positions typically aligned with center-right economic policies. The article uses neutral language in presenting facts and data and does not explicitly advocate for a particular political viewpoint; however, the emphasis on tax increases and business expensing challenges following the expiration suggests a subtle alignment with pro-tax-cut, business-friendly perspectives associated with center-right ideology. Thus, while the article largely reports rather than overtly promotes an ideological stance, the framing and source choice reflect a center-right leaning.
www.thecentersquare.com – By David Beasley | The Center Square contributor – (The Center Square – ) 2025-04-30 21:25:00
(The Center Square) – Authorization of sports agents to sign North Carolina’s collegiate athletes for “name, image, and likeness” contracts used in product endorsements is in legislation approved Wednesday by a committee of the state Senate.
Authorize NIL Agency Contracts, known also as Senate Bill 229, is headed to the Rules Committee after gaining favor in the Judiciary Committee. It would likely next get a full floor vote.
Last year the NCAA approved NIL contracts for players.
Sen. Amy S. Galey, R-Alamance
NCLeg.gov
“Athletes can benefit from NIL by endorsing products, signing sponsorship deals, engaging in commercial opportunities and monetizing their social media presence, among other avenues,” the NCAA says on its website. “The NCAA fully supports these opportunities for student-athletes across all three divisions.”
SB229 spells out the information that the agent’s contract with the athlete must include, and requires a warning to the athlete that they could lose their eligibility if they do not notify the school’s athletic director within 72 hours of signing the contract.
“Consult with your institution of higher education prior to entering into any NIL contract,” the says the warning that would be required by the legislation. “Entering into an NIL contract that conflicts with state law or your institution’s policies may have negative consequences such as loss of athletic eligibility. You may cancel this NIL agency contract with 14 days after signing it.”
The legislation also exempts the NIL contracts from being disclosed under the state’s Open Records Act when public universities review them. The state’s two ACC members from the UNC System, Carolina and N.C. State, requested the exemption.
“They are concerned about disclosure of the student-athlete contracts when private universities don’t have to disclose the student-athlete contracts,” Sen. Amy Galey, R-Alamance, told the committee. “I feel very strongly that a state university should not be put at a disadvantage at recruitment or in program management because they have disclosure requirements through state law.”
Duke and Wake Forest are the other ACC members, each a private institution.
Note: The following A.I. based commentary is not part of the original article, reproduced above, but is offered in the hopes that it will promote greater media literacy and critical thinking, by making any potential bias more visible to the reader –Staff Editor.
Political Bias Rating: Centrist
The article primarily reports on the legislative development regarding NIL (name, image, and likeness) contracts for collegiate athletes in North Carolina. It presents facts about the bill, committee actions, and includes statements from a state senator without using loaded or emotionally charged language. The piece neutrally covers the issue by explaining both the bill’s purpose and the concerns it addresses, such as eligibility warnings and disclosure exemptions. Overall, the article maintains a factual and informative tone without advocating for or against the legislation, reflecting a centrist, unbiased approach.
SUMMARY: Donald van der Vaart, a former North Carolina environmental secretary and climate skeptic, has been appointed to the North Carolina Utilities Commission by Republican Treasurer Brad Briner. Van der Vaart, who previously supported offshore drilling and fracking, would oversee the state’s transition to renewable energy while regulating utility services. His appointment, which requires approval from the state House and Senate, has drawn opposition from environmental groups. Critics argue that his views contradict clean energy progress. The appointment follows a controversial bill passed by the legislature, granting the treasurer appointment power to the commission.
