JOHNSTON COUNTY – The County of Johnston, anticipating “sticker shock” for many owners of real estate, has posted a website including videos explaining the process.
County Tax Administrator Jocelyn Andrews told the County Commissioners at their last scheduled meeting of the year on December 2 that Johnston’s taxpayers “will see a much larger increase” than the average 24% resulting from the county’s last revaluation in 2019. “I don’t have that number yet – let me be clear about that,” she said of the current process nearing completion.
“Our goal is to mail notices to all taxpayers by the end of the year or around the first of the (new) year,” she told commissioners.
Ms. Andrews reported increases in neighboring counties that underwent property revaluations a year ago: 52% in Wake County, 56% in Wilson County, and a whopping 70% in suburban Franklin County.
“Johnston County has changed significantly” since our 2019 revaluation,” she emphasized. “Our growth has been substantial.”
Even so, the county’s property owners won’t know what their tax bills will look like until the County Commissioners and Johnston’s town boards set their tax rates when they adopt budgets for 2025-26 in June, Ms. Andrews explained. Those bills are normally mailed out in early August, with payments due without penalty in early January 2026, she noted.
In most cases, our local governing boards will reduce their current tax rates to make their new budgets “revenue neutral” or revised downward to some level that keeps tax bills well under the percentage jump expected from revaluation.
Looking at the bright side of higher revaluations for most Johnstonians, “that means their net worth has gone up considerably,” observed County Commissioner Ted Godwin, a retired banker.
State law requires North Carolina’s counties to undertake property revaluation at least every eight years. Urban counties like Wake moved to four-year revaluations some time ago, and Johnston is in the process of moving to that schedule, with the current revaluation coming six years after the last one and the next one to be done four years from now.
Ms. Andrews said the more frequent schedule will reduce so-called “sticker shock” and prove to be fairer for all taxpayers as Johnston continues its accelerated growth.
Revaluation has no effect on local property taxes due now. The deadline for paying the current year’s bills to avoid late-payment penalties is Monday, January 6.
Taxation is theft
Funny how they follow state laws about this But Do Not follow state laws about vacant buildings And vacant houses.
“In most cases, our local governing boards will reduce their current tax rates to make their new budgets “revenue neutral” HAHA
State law requires taxes to be revenue neutral, but this is a joke. Most counties and local governments have figured out a way around it, they simply raise their spending. They say the reduce your taxes but that reduction is no where equal to the % increase in your property value.
Property taxes are theft!
Every single one of you who re-elected the morons who raised you taxes should stop voting.
Looking at the bright side of higher revaluations for most Johnstonians, “that means their net worth has gone up considerably,” observed County Commissioner Ted Godwin. Is this guy a joke? How has the net worth gone up when everything else has gone up, but earnings have not. Try spending less in our government and maybe then our net worth might go up. We get a raise and you take it plus half more. ENOUGH IS ENOUGH!
Godwin should be voted out asap. To him this is just a funny joke. To people on fixed incomes it’s very very painful.
More than 83,000 JoCo-ers voted for Godwin. He’s been in office since 2012, and re-elected three times. STOP voting for him! #VoteOutIncumbents #TakeResponsibility #stopVotingLikeSheep
The obvious hasn’t been mentioned here. After the thousands of new homeowners moved here because of the thousands of new houses built in the county since the last time this was done, you would think they could operate on THAT increase in revenue, AND leave the rest of us alone!!!
taxes are the price we pay to be FREE
That’s some remarkably convoluted logic…..
You can also think of taxes as a protection racket allowing you to stay in your home for one more year.
As a person on a fixed income, it won’t be long before I won’t be able to afford to pay my property taxes. I’ll be forced to sell and downsize.
Make sure to remember Ted Godwin smirking about your increase in net worth if you are forced into such a difficult situation. The greedy mouths of government find it worth a chuckle.
The new tax revaluation should be released before the election of the county’s commissioner. So taxpayers would no how to vote!
Please explain how my old double wide went from $110k to $227k without any ugrades.Nothing but a rip off.