GASTONIA, N.C. — The time for Gastonia leaders to decide on possible tax changes is just weeks away.
This comes after home revaluations were released with many property owners seeing a surge in value.
One Gastonia homeowner, who did not want to speak on camera, told WCNC Charlotte her home is worth over $100,000 more than in 2019, when the last revaluations came out.
Now, she's worried what it could mean for her taxes, and she's not alone.
For months, residents like Marian Parlier have been coming to city council, worried their taxes could spike.
“I want to complain about the tax rate also," Parlier said in an April meeting. "If you don’t reduce the tax rate…people are going to lose their homes.”
Mark Sollars said he hopes that the city will take a revenue neutral approach, budgeting for the same amount of property taxes for the upcoming year, as they did for the current one.
"Are we going to take the road of spending beyond the taxpayers ability to pay, or are we going to take the road that puts taxpayers first and cuts spending to be in line with what we can afford," Sollars said.
But, the city said it's still working through the process. Adding in a statement to WCNC Charlotte that they "are still in the budget development process and have not held a public meeting yet for the budget, which is scheduled for May 2."
For now, the city said, Gastonia's tax rate remains $0.52 per every $100 a home is worth, and new tax bills won't go out until August when the budget's approved.
There's also an appeals process through Gaston County.
"We have appealed this because there’s no way we could sell our house for $600,000," Parlier said.
But, the Gaston Association of Realtors said homeowners should remember to, "read the fine print...should an appeal be filed, the value could decrease, stay the same or increase per Gaston County's appeal instructions and terms."
The association is encouraging everyone to visit the county's website for more details regarding their reassessment, as both city and county leaders prepare to decide if the tax rate will change.
Kayland Hagwood: Contact Kayland Hagwood at khagwood@wcnc.com and follow her on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.