Pender County · issues
Civic issues
Topics getting the most attention in Pender County public meetings, ranked by how frequently they come up.
Financial Fraud
A resident linked tax concerns to the county's vendor fraud. Manager Colby Sawyer clarified the ACH fraud involved utility dollars, not tax dollars; $250,000 has been recovered from insurance and the SBI is still investigating.
Property tax reappraisal burden
Pender County's first property reappraisal in seven years covered about 55,000 properties and has already generated 623 appeals. The board wanted to suspend or alter the process but was advised it legally can't once the schedule of values is adopted. Property owners now have until October 1 to appeal their new values.
Health and DSS budget impacts from state and federal cuts
Health and DSS both held the line — no new positions or vehicles — but increases driven by state and federal cuts and new twice-yearly recertification rules mean more work with the same staff.