As to the tax issue, Moody said he had discussed the matter with Jackson County Tax Assessor Cecil Dills, who indicated rezoning would not reduce Bryson's tax bill. Dills confirmed Moody's statement and said it is unlikely Bryson's taxes would be reduced due to the zoning change. Bryson has already been granted a reduction in his assessment by the county's Board of Equalization and Review based on the topography of his property rather than its zoning classification, Dills said Monday. Several factors affect the way property values are assessed for tax purposes, Dills said. We need to value property at its highest and best use.
Property owners can seek rezoning every year.
We don't want to change values back and forth. The second zoning change, approved unanimously, reclassified a parcel from residential to commercial in spite of an objection by a neighboring property owner. At issue was the status of a tract owned by Richard Mason and Joyce Roberts on Walter Ashe Road behind Macon Bank. Nearby land owner Ralph Triplette maintained that the town should leave the tract residential property in order to preserve the historically residential character of the road. Triplette's concerns included the narrowness of Walter Ashe Road and the bottleneck increased traffic would cause.