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Tax Assessment Work Group Special Meeting

Orange County · Tax Assessment Work Group
Thursday, March 19, 2026

Special or emergency meeting Tax rate and revaluationContracts and procurement

Agenda document Minutes Watch Meeting recap

What's on this agenda

Orange County's tax assessment work group reached the decision point on March 19: which vendor to recommend to the county commissioners to evaluate the county's reappraisal and assessment process. Members went round the table on the strengths and weaknesses of each proposal before settling on a recommendation.

The group also reread the charge the commissioners gave it in September 2025 and its own ground rules, and set out what came next: contract negotiations, then commissioner approval on April 7 or April 21.

Summarized from the published agenda. Read the agenda itself before acting on it.

Meeting recap

What happened, drawn from the records published after the meeting. Minutes

The work group recommended GAR Associates over Landin and Associates to run the county's reappraisal and assessment review. Members praised GAR for a clearer technical approach, stronger command of North Carolina tax law and a more polished presentation. Staff scored GAR at 88.14 against Landin's 82.25; work group and commissioner scores gave GAR 87.8 to 70.5. The Board of Commissioners approved a contract with GAR Associates on May 5.

Members also heard that commissioners appointed John Burgiss acting tax administrator through September, while the county reviews recruiter proposals for a permanent hire. The group set April 7 or April 21 as target dates for the board to approve the consultant contract. Minutes from the March 9 meeting were not taken up and were left for later review.

Speaking at this meeting

Orange County's own rules for public comment — check them before you rely on anything here.

Agenda items (5)

Discussion item · 3Minutes approval · 1Procedural · 1
  1. 3 Approval of Minutes from March 9, 2026
    Minutes approval
    Minutes from the March 9 meeting were not taken up. They will be distributed later for review and approval.
  2. 5 Review of Charge to the Work Group
    Procedural Tax rate and revaluation
    A review of the charge the county commissioners gave the work group in September 2025, and of the group's ground rules.
  3. 7 Round Robin – Strengths and Weaknesses of Each Proposal
    Discussion item Contracts and procurementTax rate and revaluation
    Members praised GAR Associates for a clearer technical approach, stronger command of North Carolina tax law and a more polished presentation than Landin and Associates. Landin's pitch included a public dashboard and an equity focus, but members called it less detailed and less aligned with the county's needs.
  4. 8 Discussion of Vendor Recommendation to the Board of Commissioners
    Discussion item Contracts and procurementTax rate and revaluation
    The group recommended GAR Associates to the Board of Commissioners, citing staff scores of 88.14 to 82.25 for Landin and work group scores of 87.8 to 70.5. The Board of Commissioners approved a contract with GAR Associates on May 5.
  5. 9 Discussion of Next Steps
    Discussion item Tax rate and revaluation
    The group set April 7 or April 21 as target dates for the Board of Commissioners to approve the consultant contract. The next meeting, April 13, covers the Tanner Valuation Report, contract negotiation status and state property tax reform.

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