Harnett Commissioners oppose GA push for property tax restrictions and approve data center moratorium public hearing

On April 21, Harnett County Commissioners passed a resolution to oppose modifications to the county’s tax authority and approved a public hearing for a moratorium against data centers.

The House Select Committee on Property Tax Reduction and Reform (SCPTRR) wants a constitutional amendment to limit governments’ control on increasing property tax revenues annually added to the fall ballot.

There is already a state law maximum tax rate cap of $1.50 per $100 of assessed value, which no counties have reached.

On April 15, the House SCPTRR recommended passage of a bill for the constitutional amendment on the Nov. ballot. It still needs to pass the full House and Senate before even appearing on the ballot.

The House committee advanced the constitutional amendment, one of two bills. The amendment is intended to prevent the circumvention of property tax obligations by individuals who exploit a loophole involving affordable housing standards and nonprofit co-ownership.

The North Carolina Association of County Commissioners states the amendment is broad, so lawmakers can later impose strict limits.

In another vote, the board authorized a modification to waive $10k in system development fees with additional language. They added that the fees would be waived without commissioner approval for businesses that contribute significant tax revenue. The board would be notified of these cases.

Vice-Chairman Matt Nicol added two items to new business. He presented a growth index review and asked the board to discuss a moratorium against data centers and to schedule a public hearing.

Review the video beginning at 1:19:52 to hear Nicol’s presentation on growth.

The board scheduled a data center one-year moratorium public hearing before adding language to the Uniform Development Ordinance (UDO) for May 4.

However, municipalities could decide on their own whether to hold a moratorium or approve data centers.

The county plans to gather as much data as possible before the public hearing.

Sanford and Lee County have made progress in UDO data center rules, as explained here.

Nicol said the county’s high water availability attracted data centers and the water department needed to take precedence over business proposals.

The water from a data center may need to be filtered and cleaned before entering the sewer system and the county was behind on building its new system.

In other news, the county plans to meet the financial struggle of filing tax returns by collaborating with Campbell University to offer no-cost filing assistance.

The board honored Veteran Hero Sergeant Major Kenn Capper.

The next meeting is May 4 at 9 a.m.

April 21, 2026

Stephanie M. Sellers

Submit news tips, events and interview requests to editor@sandhills.news.

Sandhills News is plain-English local government reporting that explains how decisions affect your land, taxes, schools and rights.