Call for Correction of Misleading Journalism; News & Record Should Correct Its Greensboro Tax Story; Days Before the Budget Hearing, Readers Got the Wrong Picture

Greensboro's News & Record Can't Bring Itself to Say "21% Property Tax Increase"

Days before Greensboro’s June 2 budget hearing, the News & Record published a misleading article on the City’s proposed budget.

Better than;

Example of much worse;

From the Manager’s presentation;

The article repeats the city’s framing;

“city leaders have said that property values within the city rose an average of 40%”

According to Guilford County figures, the median increase for all residential properties was approximately 59.7%, not 40%, clearly misleading;

[Budget Director Jon] Decker provided examples of two actual properties in Greensboro: one previously valued at $128,700 that rose by around 82% to $234,700, and another at $307,300 that grew by a more modest 22% to $374,200.

Under the proposed tax rate, the owner of the lower-priced home would see their tax bill increase by $481, from $866 to $1,347. The owner of the higher-priced home would see a lower increase, with their bill rising $81 from $2,067 to $2,148.

The first example is consistent with the reassessment table. Homes under $150,000 experienced a median increase of 86.2%.

The second example is deceiving; A $307,300 home falls within the $225,000-$350,000 range where the median increase was 57.8%, yet the article’s example only increased 21.8%, far below the median for that category.

What Decker should have said;

Using the county's own median reassessment data, the annual combined city-county tax increase would be roughly $1,517, compared with about $81 under the example presented in the article.

A news article should not leave readers with the impression that a 21.8% reassessment increase is typical for a $307,300 home when county data shows the median increase for that category was nearly 58%.

Higher-priced homes generally received smaller percentage increases. That means the tax burden shifted downward toward lower value, and likely lower-income homeowners.

The article did not show a typical mid-priced homeowner. It showed an unusually lucky mid-priced homeowner.

The largest percentage increases were concentrated in lower-value homes, while the percentage increases generally declined as property values increased. A $1 million home saw a median increase of 46.3%, compared with 86.2% for homes valued between $75,000 and $150,000.

With Guilford and Greensboro Combined with Higher Proposed Fees;

Readers were never told the median residential increase was 59.7%. They were never told Greensboro’s budget recommends a 21% property tax increase.

Instead, days before a public hearing on a budget that will affect every homeowner in the city, readers were given examples that understated the impact on many taxpayers and reinforced the City’s preferred narrative.

Public hearings only work when citizens have accurate and complete information before they walk into the room. When the median homeowner is missing from the story, the public debate is diminished, and taxpayers are left with a less accurate understanding of what’s proposed.

The News & Record should correct the record, publish the median reassessment data, and let readers decide for themselves.