The Jacksonville City Council voted on two annexation requests and received a presentation on the upcoming county property tax revaluation.
The council during a Feb. 5 work session voted to schedule public hearings for two annexation requests during the council's Tuesday meeting.
Tidewater Associates submitted a petition on behalf of B&M Developers for a voluntary satellite annexation of two tracts of land at 1420 Blue Creek Road.
Totaling 169.92 acres, the property is not contiguous to current city limit boundaries. The developer proposes building 34 commercial businesses and 494 single-family homes, with an average value of $357,500 each, according to the council agenda.
Tidewater Associates also submitted a petition on behalf of Bobby R. Morton for a voluntary satellite annexation of two tracts of land at N.C. 53 and Old Maplehurst Road.
Totaling 6.668 acres, the property is not contiguous to current city limit boundaries. The developer proposes building 26 commercial businesses to be known as "Stallion Crossing," according to the council agenda.
Also approved as part of the meeting's consent agenda was a draft intergovernmental support agreement with Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune, an agreement that was first proposed to council in January. The authority for military installations to enter into intergovernmental support agreements with state and local governments was authorized by U.S. Congress in the 2013 National Defense Authorization Act.
City staff has since been working with MCB Camp Lejeune to identify opportunities to establish agreements that benefit the city and the base.
The approved agreement supports the base with water and sewer repair, maintenance, equipment and infrastructure. Under the agreement, the city will provide quotes to the base for needed work, and the base will pay the city for the work.
City Manager Joshua Ray also presented council with information about the upcoming countywide property tax revaluation.
Revaluation is the process of updating property values so that they reflect current market conditions.
State law requires all counties to reappraise real properties at least once every eight years, but the Onslow County Board of Commissioners adopted a resolution in 2001 requiring the county conduct a revaluation every four years.
The city of Jacksonville and all other municipalities within Onslow County are not involved in the property revaluation process that is handled by the Onslow County Tax Office. Ray said he wanted to present council with information to ensure city residents know what to expect.
Council is only responsible for setting the city's property tax rate annually during the budget development process. The city property tax rate is 60 cents per $100 in property valuation.
Ray said property values have increased countywide by 35% to 40% since 2022, with growth being consistent across all areas.
"We wanted to submit this information to citizens so that they know this is what the county's process is right now," he said. "Then, we would like to come back at the March 3 workshop and then talk about the city's tax rate at that workshop."
The county tax revaluation is expected to be completed in May, Ray said.
At the conclusion of the meeting, Ray recognized Deputy City Manager Ron Massey, who was recently named the 2025 Assistant Municipal Manager of the Year by the N.C. City and County Management Association.
