With Election Day approaching, the candidates on your ballot are campaigning heavily for your votes — but the candidates are not the only things on this year’s ballot.
North Carolinians are also being asked to vote on three state constitutional amendments: one to enshrine a voter-ID requirement, one that would cap the state income tax at no more than 3.5%, and a third that would require state lawmakers to place limits on local governments’ ability to raise property taxes.
Those proposals seem straightforward — but Orange County leaders are warning voters that the negative consequences could be significant if they pass.
“We (passed) a resolution (earlier this month) expressing our concerns over the 2026 constitutional tax amendments,” says Chair of the Orange County Commissioners Jean Hamilton.
The language on the ballot is simple: it asks you to approve or reject a “constitutional amendment requiring limits on property tax increases by local governments.”
High property taxes have been an issue of concern for North Carolinians — including in Orange County, where some residents saw big tax increases just last year.
But Hamilton says that was caused by the property revaluation process, not the tax rate — and she adds that state-level funding cuts are also forcing counties to shoulder more of the cost of essential services like SNAP benefits and public schools.
“At one point, North Carolina was ranked 27th for school funding levels, (and) it is now 50th,” she says. “What does that mean for Orange County? We have a community who cares about public education and really investing in our people. And so, it turns to the county.”
In fact, Hamilton points out, Orange County residents have already voted for higher property taxes in the form of school bonds — a vote that she says could be imperiled by this new amendment. And in general, Hamilton says if the state government caps property taxes while also passing more and more costs down to counties, especially at a time of higher inflation, it could push local governments to a breaking point.
Jean Hamilton speaks at the Board of Orange County Commissioners Meeting in June 2026. (Photo by Elena Pace.)
“The county has mandated services that include elections, our sheriff, our courts, our public health, public schools,” she says. “A fire engine costs $1.2 million. These services are at risk of not having enough funding.”
Other Orange County lawmakers agree. North Carolina Senator Jonah Garson says while he himself is a Democrat, the challenge for county leaders cuts across party lines.
“The counties have been put in just impossible positions,” he says. “I represent Caswell, Orange, and Person, (and) I’ve spoken with, at this point, several Republican county commissioners who hate this cynical game being played by Raleigh.”
And Garson adds that the difficulty for counties could be compounded even more if voters approve the second proposed amendment to cap the state income tax — which would have no effect on the current income tax rate, but which could make it harder for the state to handle a recession, or another natural disaster like Hurricane Helene.
“The state’s now turning around and saying, ‘Counties, what you’re doing and taxing people locally and the way you are, it’s wrong. People can’t absorb that,'” he says. “(But) it’s the state passing the buck and trying to scapegoat the counties — counties who have to pass timely budgets, county leadership who are the responsible adults in the room — for a terribly intransigent and dysfunctional majority in Raleigh.”
Despite those arguments, and vocal opposition from local government officials across the state, polls suggest the amendment is still likely to pass. So what will counties have to do? State House Rep. Renee Price says counties may have to resort to imposing more and higher fees for public services, something that’s already happening on the state level.
And beyond that, Price also points out one more thing: the amendment doesn’t actually specify what the property tax limits will end up being. And she says that leaves county leaders now scrambling to plan future budgets without any knowledge, yet, of how much money they might have available to spend.
“The amendment does not spell out any of the potential limits or how these parameters are going to be set — it simply instructs the General Assembly to enact a levy limit,” Price says. “There’s no particular formula that’s been set. How are we going to do that? And that is the big unknown.”
Chapelboro.com does not charge subscription fees, and you can directly support our efforts in local journalism here. Want more of what you see on Chapelboro? Let us bring free local news and community information to you by signing up for our newsletter.
‘The Big Unknown’: Orange County Leaders Rally Against Proposed Property Tax Constitutional Amendment Chapelboro.com.
Hence then, the article about the big unknown orange county leaders rally against proposed property tax constitutional amendment was published today ( ) and is available on chapelboro ( Middle East ) The editorial team at PressBee has edited and verified it, and it may have been modified, fully republished, or quoted. You can read and follow the updates of this news or article from its original source.
Read More Details
Finally We wish PressBee provided you with enough information of ( ‘The Big Unknown’: Orange County Leaders Rally Against Proposed Property Tax Constitutional Amendment )
Also on site :
- IDA Documentary Awards Shortlists: ‘You Can See Everything,’ ‘To Hold A Mountain,’ ‘Nuisance Bear’ Make Features Cut, But What Got Snubbed?
- Everything New on HBO Max in November 2026, From ‘The Gilded Age’ Season 4 to ‘Elf’ and More Holiday Favorites
- ‘DWTS’ Guest Judge Shirley Ballas Defends Her Historically Low Scores After Horror Movie Night