Commissioners vote for land conservancy assistance; residents talk property taxes
- Chuck Thompson
- Aug 8, 2025
- 3 min read
Property tax bills and farmland conservation were the hot topics of Cleveland County’s Board of Commissioners’ meeting Tuesday night.
Some residents voiced their stern objection to their 2025 property tax bills.
School Board Member Danny Blanton took to the podium to express his disbelief in his property tax bill.
“If we can lower that tax rate, we should have lowered it more,” Blanton explained. “There’s new money coming in (Cleveland County) and if there isn’t – then somebody’s not doing their job.”
He said some residents can’t afford to pay their property tax bill, adding, “This is a property county. Folks, come on, think about the people that are living here.”
Blanton said his insurance has increased and most of his mortgage payment is going to interest and taxes. He noted that he might not be on the county commission, but he still represented the people of Cleveland County as a school board member.
“I work for the people of Cleveland County, that’s who elected me on the school board and that’s what I’ll keep doing as long as I’m alive,” Blanton said in closing.
County Manager David Cotton brought up the topic of farmland preservation conservancies.
The idea is for Cleveland County to lighten the burden on the state, making it easier for those in Cleveland County that wish to put their land in a conservation by helping free funds from the state by putting small amounts from the county towards land conservation.
“Transferring this has nothing to do with tax value. Secondly, this is a recommendation that came from the ag department” Chairman Kevin Gordon added, clarifying any questions that might arise.
40,000 acres of working lands in North Carolina have been preserved through the Agricultural Development and Farmland Preservation Trust Fund since 2006.
According to the American Farmland Trust, North Carolina is projected to lose 1.2 million acres of farmland by 2040 to urban and residential development.
As Charlotte grows and urban development encroaches into Cleveland County, it’s a way to preserve the county’s farm and wooded lands, as Cotton said, “It’s one way to maintain that balance (between urban and rural) here in Cleveland County.”
Conservation is completely voluntary by the landowner. The county won’t have enough to buy an easement outright but will be able to help offset the costs to the state to make it easier to put a resident’s land in a conservancy, if anyone chooses to do so.
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“We have a rich agriculture heritage and as Charlotte moves toward us, we become more urban and less farmland, I make a motion to approve it,” Commissioner Tony Berry said.
Commissioners went into closed session immediately following the discussion and unanimous vote to approve.
The next regular scheduled Cleveland County Commissioners’ meeting will be held on Sept. 16, at 6 p.m.
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Chuck Thompson is a reporter for The Shelby Independent.
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