Photo by Eleazar Yisrael
By March, people are starting to fall back into their normal routines. The County Commission, which saw winter disruptions from holidays and weather, is no exception. About a dozen members of the public showed up for the first meeting of the month, a steep decline from last month’s attendance.
The animal services ordinance that brought many out was passed unanimously, but with comments that the commission may revisit the topic in the future. Members of the public showed up to speak to the commissioners about that.
A public plea for Animal Control
Mary Hiatt addresses the commissioners. (Photo by Lara Manetta)
Pamlico Animal Welfare Society (PAWS) volunteer Mary Hiatt returned to speak to the commissioners during the public comment period. She said that she’d spoken with a number of concerned citizens, as well as people involved with other private animal rescues. She also described fielding more than two dozen calls for support that she could not provide.
“Abused animals, animals in distress, large colonies of cats… people have called me and said, I called Animal Control and they said they can't help me,” she said. “I understand that the scope of the support needed for a county of our size is beyond what one person can do, but to decrease the scope of the officer's job to the bare minimum required by the state is clearly hurting the people in this county and the animals.”
Hiatt asked the commissioners to consider adding at least one additional part-time animal services officer and to return the scope of the office to include previously offered animal services.
“We do plan to approach every municipality with this request, because I do understand they need to contribute,” she added. “We will continue to raise public awareness on the issue and our proposed solutions.”
She closed by asking the commissioners to contact her or PAWS president Jackie Schmidt to discuss the matter further.
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A veteran’s event on March 21
Larry Summers announces the veterans’ event. (Photo by Lara Manetta)
Larry Summers of Disabled American Veterans of Pamlico County used the public comment period to announce an upcoming veterans’ resource fair. The fair will be held at Pamlico Community College in the Delmar Center on Saturday, March 21 from 9:00 am to 2:00 pm.
Veterans will be able to get up to date information about VA benefits, enroll on-site and talk to specialists about what services and resources are available to them.
Property valuations up an average of 65 to 69 percent
Pamlico County law requires revaluation of real estate every six years. Since the previous revaluation was performed in 2020, the tax office began working on revaluations to be released this year.
The revaluation is set as of January 1 of this year and is based on data collected between February 2024 and October 2025. Notices of new property values will be sent out to Pamlico county property owners in March and will be used for property tax billing this summer.
Jeremy Aitken of Vincent Valuations made a presentation on the revaluation effort. A few key findings:
72% of properties show a higher value than in 2020.
28% of properties fell in value.
20% of properties changed in value by 15% or less.
On average, property values increased by 65 to 69 percent.
Aitken emphasized that appraised value and tax rates are two separate concerns. The value is set by tax appraisers to determine market value. Pamlico County property tax will be set based on budgetary needs. The amount of a final tax bill cannot be determined until the tax rate is set.
Aitken acknowledged that valuations are sometimes inaccurate or based on incomplete information. Because appraisers work from outside the property, they may be missing context that can affect its value.
This is why the appeals phase is the final phase of the revaluation process. “It is absolutely as important as every other phase of the project because this is an opportunity for the public to review their values and, if there are any concerns, to let us know so that we make sure we are as accurate as possible,” Aitken said.
Property owners need the following if they plan to appeal the new valuation:
A filled out Real Estate Appeal of Assessment. These can be found on the county’s website or picked up at the tax office.
Any documents and information that can verify issues brought up in the appeal. This can include blueprints and photos to verify conditions or issues that can affect property value.
Publicly listed comparable sales of properties from the years 2024 and 2025 that show major value differences.
Aitken shared tips for property owners who wish to appeal their new valuation:
Remember that data errors and out-of-date information can be managed quickly. The tax office staff is there to help correct, update or verify relevant information.
Qualifying property owners may benefit from available tax relief programs.
Appeals must be based on value rather than a change in value or what the expected tax increase might be.
Submit appeals as early as possible to ensure you can schedule and prepare for a hearing.
Appeals must be submitted online or in writing by 5:00 pm on May 11, 2026.
Contact info for the tax office is as follows:
Pamlico County Tax Department, 202 Main St, PO Box 538, Bayboro, NC 28515. They can also be reached via their website or by phone at (252) 745-3791.
Power restoration at the Pamlico Ball Park
With baseball season coming up fast, the county finds itself in a race to get power restored to the baseball field.
The baseball fields have suffered a number of power disruptions. There is currently no lighting overhead, no scoreboard, and no power in the bathrooms.
The commissioners were asked to approve a plan to spend $19,741 to restore power and prevent future outages. This estimate will cover labor and installation of all necessary components.
Additional Notes
The following agenda items passed unanimously:
Request for approval of budget amendments
Request for approval of board releases
Request for approval of ABC Board appointment
The commission went into closed session to discuss a legal and personnel matter.
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