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LEE COUNTY Committed Today for a Better Tomorrow RESOLUTION SEEKING ASSISTANCE FROM THE NORTH CAROLINA GENERAL ASSEMBLEY IN ADDRESSING THE DELINQUENCY DATE FOR THE PAYMENT OF PROPERTY TAXES WHEN INCLEMENT WEATHER CLOSES COUNTY OFFICES WHEREAS, the deadline to pay 2017 property taxes without accruing a 2 percent interest penalty was Friday January 5, 2018 at 5:00 pm and that interest was to begin accruing on January 6, 2018.; and, WHEREAS, North Carolina General Statutes §§ 105-395.1 under the Machinery Act of North Carolina addresses the "weekend/holiday rule" adds additional days to the delinquency date and within the spirit of this rule the County is requesting the discretion to add days due to inclement weather; and, WHEREAS, that on the night of Wednesday January 3, an unforeseen winter storm impacted Lee County with six inches of snow when forecasts for the County were less than one inch of snow accumulation; and, WHEREAS, the winter storm and subsequent unusually cold temperatures caused the County Manager to close all County offices on January 4, open for only 5 hours on January 5t' and limit all weekend activities; and, WHEREAS, County offices were open for 5 hours on January 5h to allow tax payers the ability to pay their taxes before the delinquency date; and, WHEREAS, due to extremely hazardous conditions, but for the impending property tax delinquency date, County offices would have been closed; and, WHEREAS, many areas of Lee County were still impassable on Monday, January 8 causing many citizens to be unable to leave their houses and neighborhoods; and, WHEREAS, due to the closure, many citizens who normally pay taxes in person were not able to pay their taxes on time and were charged interest for being late; and, WHEREAS, the Machinery Act does not allow the County Commissioners to extend the delinquency date for any reason.