Join community members from every corner of Orange County dedicated to preventing displacement of longtime homeowners and ending racial and disparity in property taxes! The most recent property revaluation drastically shifted the burden of property taxes to Historically Black neighborhoods throughout the county by several million dollars -- while proportionately undertaxing larger, newer homes in wealthy and predominantly white neighborhoods.

On October 6, Justice United and our partners with the Property Tax Justice Coalition will:

• Report back together on progress and challenges from the 220+ property value appeals supported by the Property Tax Justice Coalition partners.
• Report back on the County Commissioners' and Tax Office's response to our proposal to make property valuation more equitable and to increase funding for home repairs and tax relief.
• Plan our strategy and next steps together.

See our progress report chart here.

More info:

The full text and proposals of the property tax justice petition, which you can sign here on the Marian Cheek Jackson Center's website (scroll down to action item #4):

Dear Orange County Tax Officials and County Commissioners,

We write as community members, neighbors, and stewards of homes that carry not just financial value, but deep roots, stories, and legacies. Recent inequitable property tax revaluations have caused widespread concern across our neighborhoods, including:

• Councilville
• Northside
• Rogers Road
• Pine Knolls & Tin Top
• Cedar Grove
• Piney Grove
• Fairview
• Mars Hill
• Davie/Glosson Circle
• Perry Hill

Many of us have seen dramatic increases in property valuations that outpace both real market trends and the lived realities of our communities. These increases are not felt equally. Longtime residents—many of whom are elders, on fixed incomes, or part of historically underrepresented groups—face the possibility of being priced out of homes we have spent generations building and protecting.

Meanwhile, we see that “market value” has a different meaning when applied to other communities. The new assessed values fall well-under the market in wealthier neighborhoods like the Oaks, Southern Village, and Boundary Street, shifting the increased property tax burden onto the backs of those of us who have already carried so much. In fact, all of our neighborhoods will see 25-80% increases in our property taxes – over $2 million total in increased taxes – even if you choose a “revenue neutral rate.” At the same time, the multi-million dollar homes on Tenney Circle and Cameron/McCauley will see their property taxes decrease on average despite having homes sell for nearly double the tax value the last two years. And the ten highest price luxury apartment complexes will see their property taxes fall by over $1.1 million after charging skyrocketing rates the last four years even before, as expected, they appeal for even less.

We urgently and respectfully ask that you urge the tax office to:

1. Work with the Orange County Property Tax Justice Coalition to present the identified neighborhood inequities to the Board of Equalization and Review to consider the evidence for neighborhood adjustments (for both overvalued and undervalued properties), lot value changes, and any other measures allowed by state law to improve the fairness of the current valuation.
2. Urgently undertake a fair re-assessment of the communities named above in order to make neighborhood-wide adjustments to the 2025 revaluation that addresses the inequities in land values and vertical equity within our neighborhoods.
3. Correct undervalued luxury apartment buildings that should carry a fair share of the property tax burden.
4. Integrate well-documented mass assessment tools into future revaluations that seek to ensure vertical equity and fairness in valuation that could help prevent regressivity, including but not limited to: price related differential (prd), price related bias (prb), sales quartile and decile over/under assessment, sales ratio studies focused on the equity of land values in Orange County, and application of additional depreciation for homes that had a market rate sale in over 20 years. The tax office should build the capacity to do this, not outsource it to outside consultants.
5. Improve the fairness of land values: Work with the School of Government, the NC Housing Coalition, and other subject matter experts to review the tax office’s evidence for assigning current land values, to analyze the equity of existing land value adjustments, to ensure understanding of developable lot capability when assigning and distributing land values, and to identify tools that help ensure equitable land allocation and valuation across heterogenous neighborhoods that do not have sufficient vacant lot sales.
6. Significantly increase funding for anti-displacement support in next year’s budget that includes the Long-Time Homeowners Assistance Fund, funding for home repairs, and support for efforts by non-profits and leadership of affected historically Black neighborhoods to prevent displacement due to unjust tax inequities.

This is not just about taxes—it is about the right to remain. As you well know, the documented inequities will displace residents. We aim to honor the people who have held this County together and ensure that policy upholds the dignity, stability, and generational continuity of our neighborhoods.

We know this work is complex, and we appreciate your service and your commitment to fairness. We urge you to take action that puts people first and keeps Orange County a place where all of us can belong.

With respect and resolve,

[Your Name -- you can sign the petition here, after scrolling down to action item #4)