Question: Why do property taxes and mortgages for Buncombe County homes and residences destroyed by Hurricane Helene, and which no longer exist, have to continue to be paid?

My answer: Ben Franklin pretty much summed this up when he said, “Nothing is certain except death and taxes.” Brilliant man, except for that stint flying a kite in an electrical storm. Seems like there had to be an easier way to learn about electricity.

Real answer: This question is a fair one to ask, in my opinion, as I’ve talked with a few people who are paying mortgages on properties that aren’t there or were heavily damaged.

But as with just about everything in life, it gets more complicated than you might think.

Buncombe County spokesperson Kassi Day said the county has gotten “lots of questions surrounding the delinquency date for 2024 tax bills. Tax bills that became delinquent on Jan. 6 were 2024 tax bills for property values as of Jan. 1, 2024,” Day said via email.

“Those bills were due in early September and became delinquent on Jan. 6,” Day said. “North Carolina law does not allow any county to extend the date payments are due, or stop, adjust, or postpone the date interest starts to accrue on bills deemed past due.”

Day said the county understands this “might be frustrating and complicated and our team wanted to make sure people knew about payment arrangements that might be available.

“North Carolina state law also prohibits any county from having any flexibility to waive or prorate taxes — even after a natural disaster,” Day said. “However, property that is damaged due to Helene and still damaged as of Jan. 1, 2025, will see a reduction in 2025’s taxable value. Our assessment team is working hard to survey damaged areas so values can be updated to reflect the current situation.”

Day said the county has been encouraging residents to report damaged property on the county web page dedicated to property damage.

Day also cited a recent UNC-Chapel Hill School of Government blog by Chris McLaughlin that notes, “Damage to property that occurs after January 1 will be reflected in the taxable value of that property for the following year’s taxes. Buildings that remain damaged or destroyed as of January 1, 2025 will be reappraised and taxed at a lower value (or zero value) for 2025-26 taxes.”

Regarding mortgages, that’s not a county function but one of banks, mortgage lenders and the federally backed mortgage system known as Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae. These are government-backed entities that buy mortgages from lenders, then package them into securities for investors.

USA.gov has a page on mortgage help and home repairs after a disaster that states, “You must continue to pay your mortgage, even if a disaster damages your home. Contact your mortgage servicer if you are unable to pay. Ask your servicer if you qualify for mortgage forbearance.”

Forbearance, according to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, “is a process that can help if you’re struggling to pay your mortgage. Your servicer or lender arranges for you to temporarily pause mortgage payments or make smaller payments. You still owe the full amount, and you pay back the difference later.”

I scoured several other online sources and spoke with a local mortgage broker about this, and the upshot is: your mortgage is a legally binding contract for you to repay a loan. Basically, you are on the hook for that money.

If hundreds or thousands or tens of thousands of borrowers decided to stop paying their mortgages on destroyed homes, that would have a cascading effect on banks and ultimately Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae. That could lead to the banks or federal lending institutions becoming insolvent, which is similar to what happened leading up to the Great Recession of 2008-09 when hundreds of thousands of homeowners realized they owed way more than their homes were worth and just walked away from their debts.

I can see where it certainly feels unfair to have to continue paying on a home that’s destroyed, but as the mortgage broker told me, if you borrowed for a new car and it got totaled and your insurance was inadequate, you’d be on the hook for that, too.

It’s also worth noting that FEMA does offer the Hazard Mitigation Program, administered by the state of North Carolina, that can buy your damaged home outright, or pay to have it elevated or rebuilt at a higher level. I wrote about this in November when FEMA announced the plan locally. 

I’m also hopeful that among the hundreds of millions of dollars flowing into our community that some of it will be earmarked to help homeowners who are caught in this situation. In the meantime, keep in mind that not paying your mortgage can lead to a badly damaged credit rating and could have negative long-term financial ramifications.

Question: I just found out that the decision was made not to make up the time kids missed school due to Helene. Can you please explain what was the rationale for that? I understand that they don’t have to make up the time if it is less than 20 days. I would have thought educators would want to make up the time.

My answer: I mean, who doesn’t want to work more?

Real answer: The missed time will not be made up, as the reader noted.

“Unfortunately, we cannot make the days up,” Kimberly Dechant, chief of staff with Asheville City Schools, told me via email. “The General Assembly voted to forgive the days missed due to Hurricane Helene in the first Hurricane Relief Bill passed by the North Carolina General Assembly, as well as pay all staff during that time.”

Dechant noted that 10-month employees can only work and be paid for 215 days.

In a recent letter sent to school families and staff, Asheville City Schools noted that North Carolina law requires that the school year start no earlier than the Monday closest to Aug. 26 and end no later than the Friday closest to June 11. The state also requires systems to observe at least 11 holidays.

Also, the state requires a minimum of 1,025 Instructional hours, or 185 days. Under a normal calendar year, ACS exceeds this, with 1,094.4 hours at the elementary level and 1,170 hours at the secondary level.

The letter also noted that state law typically allows for up to five virtual learning days during inclement weather.

“However, in response to Hurricane Helene during the 2024-2025 school year, House Bill 149 granted an additional 30 remote instruction days or 180 remote instruction hours to affected districts,” the letter states. “These days are in addition to the forgiven instructional days missed in September and October.”

Buncombe County Schools, at its Oct. 18 school board meeting, also discussed the lost time issue and cited the state law and its requirements in similar calendar decisions.

Question: Any idea why NCDOT has decided to start doing tree removal on 40 (between exits 50-59) in the last week? It doesn’t look like “urgent” removal (not blocking the roads at all), but has caused major slowdowns in the afternoon in each direction as they block off a lane each time. Y’know, we really need more traffic on our roads that are open right now — especially from about 3-5pm.

My answer: I detect some serious snark near the end of this question. That’s my territory, bub!

Real answer: “The tree debris removal work on I-40 between exits 50-59 is part of the Hurricane Helene cleanup effort,” Chris Medlin, district engineer with the NCDOT’s Asheville office, said via email. “The tree removal process requires workers to load tree debris material within five feet of an open travel lane. Per NCDOT policy, that requires closing the adjacent travel lane for the safety of workers and drivers.”

The good news is this work, which began in early November, should wrap up by the end of January, Medlin said.

Asheville Watchdog is a nonprofit news team producing stories that matter to Asheville and Buncombe County. Got a question? Send it to John Boyle at jboyle@avlwatchdog.org or 828-337-0941. His Answer Man columns appear each Tuesday and Friday. The Watchdog’s reporting is made possible by donations from the community. To show your support for this vital public service go to avlwatchdog.org/support-our-publication/.

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