Up and Coming Weekly is a weekly publication in Fayetteville, NC and Fort Bragg, NC area offering local news, views, arts, entertainment and community event and business information.
Issue link: https://www.epageflip.net/i/619254
DECEMBER 23 -29, 2015 UCW 9 WWW.UPANDCOMINGWEEKLY.COM The year ahead will be one of focus and attention to detail for county government. Cumberland County Commissioners will be watching as the tax office arrives at new property values for ad valorem tax purposes. After that, com- missioners will try to construct a revenue-neutral county budget for Fiscal Year 2018. That seems a long time from now but it's a process that begins early next year. Property owners know it as re- valuation. Ad valorem values must be updated at least every eight years, if not more often. Sticker shock often results because of high- er property values that come with revaluation. Some people look upon it as nothing more than a scheduled tax increase. But the new round of revaluations may be different because residential values in Cumberland County have actually gone down in recent years, according to County Commission Chairman Marshall Faircloth. The residential tax base is less than it once was, Faircloth says. He tells Up & Coming Weekly that by the end of 2016, property values likely will have risen to normal levels so that a tax increase can be avoided. "The commercial development we've had is going to save us," Faircloth said, in reference to the tax burden. "We haven't had a lot of residential growth and that's a plus." Businesses will shoulder a larger share of the total tax base than home owners. "I'd rather have slow, managed growth," the chairman said. Using technology, the county can wait until late in the year to assign what will be the most current updated property values. The Base Realignment and Closure Act of 2005 resulted in significant population growth at Fort Bragg. But it did not trans- late into a population boom in Cumberland County. Nearby counties, such as Hoke, Moore and Harnett, reaped the benefits primarily because taxes were lower. But that's likely to change in those communities because new schools need to be built, and there are additional infrastructure needs that require funding, as well as an increase in demand for public safety in those areas. Property Revaluation Coming by JEFF THOMPSON NEWS The U.S. Department of Justice Office of Commu- nity Oriented Policing Services said the Fayetteville Police Department must continue to make changes to its policies, training and operations as they relate to use of force and community interaction. A 120-page report of the DOJ's investigation of the department recommends dozens of changes in policy and training. Police Chief Harold Medlock requested technical assistance from the Department of Justice in early 2014. Among the report's 49 findings, the assessment team found that a lack of information-sharing be- tween the FPD and the State Bureau of Investigation significantly hinders the department's investigative efforts. The report also found that, although in decline, racial disparities in traffic stops persist. Further, the report found that record-keeping of citizen complaints is insufficient, and the department's overall training strategy fails to em- phasize community-oriented policing. "I applaud Chief Medlock for stepping forward to take a more critical look at the Fayetteville Police Department's use-of-force policies and interaction with the community," said COPS Director Ronald Davis. "I am confident the department will see great improvement in its law enforcement policies." The report outlines 76 recommendations with respect to the department's use-of- force policy. Fayetteville "was a community of concern" said City Manager Ted Voorhees when Chief Medlock asked for assistance. There was "a history in our city of disconnected attitudes" according to Medlock. Allegations of racial profiling and officer-involved shootings have been significantly reduced in the last three years. The COPS Office will work with the Fayetteville Police Department over the next 18 months to help it implement the recommendations, and will provide two progress reports. Research done by the Department of Justice in reviewing departmental policies and procedures focused on the years 2013 and 2014 — Medlock's first two years on the job. A dozen officer-involved shootings had occurred in the three years prior to Medlock's hiring, according to department records. There have been only two since then, and in both cases, officers were shot. Traffic stops involving African-American male drivers were historically four times more frequent than whites, according to North Carolina Department of Justice data. The new report notes that racial disparities in motor vehicle stops are in decline. One reason for that is the police chief's order prohibiting traffic stops for minor regulatory violations. "It is our hope that this report can serve as a guide to police departments and communities across the country," said COPS Director Davis. He acknowledges that since becoming chief in February of 2013, Medlock has made a number of organi- zational changes and requires that all officers attend training on fair and impartial policing. The Department of Justice report is available to the public for review. For more information on the department and its initiatives, visit www.bethebadge.com. Fayetteville Police Department Receives Recommendations for Improvement from Department of Justice by JEFF THOMPSON