Residents feel property tax bill, late penalties begin Jan. 6
- Chuck Thompson
- 5 days ago
- 3 min read
Chuck Thompson | The Shelby Independent
Today (Monday, Jan. 5, 2026) was / is the last day for Cleveland County property owners to pay their property taxes before fees and penalties.
The Shelby Independent took a trip to the county tax office on the last day of 2025 to interview residents paying their property taxes in person before the deadline; as one person noted, who wished to remain anonymous, he feels better paying it in person and getting a receipt right away than mailing it in or paying online.
One candidate for county commissioner was there paying his taxes in person. Wayne King, who owns several dozen investment properties across Cleveland County, felt the hard pinch of paying property taxes this year. King explained he was paying his property taxes in person to make sure he didn’t miss one or overlook anything, believing acute detail and accuracy was important to him in business and as it should be in county government.
King bided his time while waiting in line by chatting with other county residents also waiting to pay their property taxes. All mentioned, in some form or another, their displeasure and financial stress of such a sudden increase in property taxes.
“With the egregious number of 80% of people receiving a property tax increase this year, versus last year, tells you the lack of leadership at the county level,” said King. “It’s important that we have new leadership on the county level – new county commissioners to make sure Cleveland County operates within its means.”
A couple, who also refused to be identified, had come into the tax office, wanting to work out a way to pay their bill, noting they could not afford their property taxes since the increase. The Shelby Independent decided not to quote them on their comment.
Cleveland County Tax Administrator Sherry Lavender said that penalties begin at 5 p.m. Monday, Jan. 5.
“Two percent interest starts tomorrow (Tuesday) for any 2025 taxes unpaid as of 5 o’clock Monday," Lavender explained. “That interest is on the principle and if there’s any balance the interest goes on as three quarters on one percent 0.75”
Lavender said it’s still easy to pay – any taxpayer can still pay in person or online after the deadline.
“As long as they send it by mail and postmarked by the post office as Jan 5 it will count as received on time” but she said if there’s no post mark date, or it's stamped as after Jan 5 it will be counted as late.
It’s encouraged that you don’t wait too long to pay your property taxes.
“When bills go into delinquency, enforcement collections can happen, such as wage garnishment or bank attachments,” she said.
This happens to people more than most might imagine, if one wondered how many property owners pay their taxes in penalty; and public records obtained by the Shelby Independent have noted that even a current elected official sitting on the board of county commissioners has had her wages garnished. In North Carolina, if a county commissioner who is responsible for, and being involved with, creating a county budget with taxpayers’ money is late paying their own property taxes, that fact is public knowledge and legally accessible for media reporting. Property tax records are public records under N.C. state law.
The Cleveland County Tax Assessment Office does not have the authority to waive or postpone interest, so please remember to pay your property taxes as soon as possible, when financially able to do so.
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Chuck Thompson is a reporter and columnist for The Shelby Independent.
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