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January 24, 2004 Page 336 The Board of Commissioners for the County of Cabarrus met in recessed session in the Multipurpose Room at the Cabarrus County Governmental Center in Concord, North Carolina on Saturday, January 24, 2004, at 8:00 a.m. Present - Chairman: Robert M. Freeman Vice Chairman: Richard D. Suggs Commissioners: Carolyn B. Carpenter Robert W. Carruth Coy C. Privette Also present were Mr. John D. Day, County Manager; Mr. Fletcher L. Hartsell, Jr., County Attorney; and Mrs. Frankie F. Bonds, Clerk to the Board. Chairman Freeman called the meeting to order at 8:10 a.m. Commissioner Carruth gave the invocation. Revaluation Mr. Brent Weisner, Tax Administrator, reported the 2004 Revaluation Project is almost complete with notices to be mailed to real property owners within the next several weeks. He reviewed information on the tax revaluation process, including the definition of fair market value, the breakdown of the county into approximately 400 neighborhoods for evaluation, sales ratio studies and the percent of change in assessed value by property and by township. Mr. Weisner reported a 27.724 percent increase in market value (excluding exempt properties) and a 25.324 percent increase in taxable value (market value minus deferred and elderly exempt values). However, he pointed out that those figures were not final and that he would provide final values on which to base the County's budget at a later date. Finally, Mr. Weisner reviewed the appeals process for property owners, including the informal review process and appeal to the Board of Equalization and Review. He stressed the importance of property owners contacting the Tax Assessor's Office with any questions regarding their notices of value. Mr. Chris Ferriss, Appraisal Supervisor, assisted with the presentation. Riverpointe Subdivision - Water and Sewer Charges Mr. Jonathan Marshall, Commerce Director, presented information regarding the Riverpointe Subdivision and the Northwest District water and sewer charges established in 2001 by the County as a means to recoup some of the investment for lines to serve new schools in that area. These assessment fees were to be charged to future users connecting to the lines within the Northwest District "who have not participated financially in the construction of extensions." Mr. Marshall reported that the Riverpointe developer intends to participate financially in the construction of the Shiloh Church Road utility extension to serve the Riverpointe subdivision, which the City of Kannapolis is seeking to annex. However, to assist with the waterline construction costs, the City of Kannapolis has proposed a Memorandum of Understanding between Riverpointe Development, Kannapolis and Cabarrus County whereby the County would assess the utility fee and, in turn, pay the fees collected to the City and/or Riverpointe Development. There was lengthy discussion regarding the Northwest District water and sewer charges and the proposed Memorandum of Understanding. Issues addressed included the following: (1) Levy of the water and sewer charges in only one area (Northwest District) rather than the entire County; (2) Financial participation by Riverpointe Development in constructing the utility extension; (3) Utility needs in the Fishertown community; (4) Discussions with the Kannapolis officials concerning transitional zoning issues; and (5) Authority by the City of Kannapolis to impose a similar fee for connections to its utility lines. After discussion, the Board by consensus declined approval of the Memorandum of Understanding proposed by the City of Kannapolis. Reasons cited included the County's policy that exempts users from paying the assessment fee if they have participated financially in the construction of extensions (as the Riverpointe developer intends to do) and the Board's intent to reconsider the utility fee that is in place for the Northwest District. Closed Session - Personnel UPON MOTION of Commissioner Carruth, seconded by Vice Chairman Suggs and unanimously carried, the Board moved to go into Closed Session to