Bob Mulder, former Chair of Raleigh’s Planning Commission and a Raleigh real estate professional, sent the following letter to Raleigh City Council on January 30, 2024.
We are publishing it here with his permission.
Dear City of Raleigh Councilors,
As both a real estate appraiser and a broker, I have been fielding a lot of questions from friends and clients who are very worried about how much higher their property taxes might become.
There are people in Wake County who can absorb a higher tax rate, but there are a lot of folks who will not be able to do so. Some residents experiencing difficulty paying property taxes may not be able to take advantage of a tax deferment or reduction program because they make just over the minimum amount of income required in order to qualify for such a program.
A majority of the citizens that you serve do not have access to large amounts of money and cannot magically produce extra funds. We already have a serious homeless problem in Wake County, and it should not be made worse.
Since 2013, my combined Wake County and City of Raleigh property taxes have gone up 62.28%.
There should be no Wake County property taxpayers who will have to pay in the coming years more than they did in 2023. There are people out there thinking about retiring who will not be able to do so if tax rates rise or continue to rise. There are even some folks who may have to consider going back to work because they are on a limited income. I would strongly urge you to set a tax rate that is revenue neutral.
Robert Mulder
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