John Burgess of the Forsyth County Tax Collector and Assessor’s Office told the Town of Lewisville council on Feb. 13 that the county’s 2025 reappraisal brought most residential properties in Lewisville to about 100% of fair market value after the county’s prior assessed levels lagged the market.

“The purpose of a reappraisal is simply to bring the real estate values that we have on our books into proper alignment so that in the year of the reappraisal, no matter what type of property you own, everybody’s paying their fair share,” Burgess said during a presentation to the council and staff.

Burgess said Forsyth County has about 160,000 properties and roughly 6,500 real estate parcels inside the Town of Lewisville. Over the four‑year reappraisal window the county recorded about 1,304 sales in Lewisville, and 270 sales in the last year of the cycle; countywide the office recorded more than 30,600 sales across four years. Using those transactions, Burgess said the county’s updated residential assessment level for Lewisville moved from an older median near the mid‑60s percent of sale price to roughly 100% when the new 2025 values are compared with market sales.

Burgess urged residents not to conflate assessed values with tax bills. He said reappraisal sets values; tax rates are set later by taxing jurisdictions. “The revenue neutral tax rate … is meant for transparency,” Burgess said, explaining that jurisdictions must publish a hypothetical rate that would produce the same revenue using the larger 2025 tax base.

He described the appeals process: an informal appeal submitted to the tax office is reviewed by appraisers; unresolved cases may be taken to the county Board of Equalization and Review, an independent panel appointed by the county commissioners. Burgess said the county had received roughly 1,200–1,300 informal appeals at the moment of his presentation, below the volume typically seen in a reappraisal year (he said the county often receives 4,000–5,000 informal appeals in a reappraisal cycle).

Council members asked for additional detail about the distribution of increases; Burgess said about 40% of Lewisville parcels saw increases in the 40–60% range and about 35% saw increases of 60–100%, meaning roughly three‑quarters of parcels increased more than 40%.

Burgess also noted that certain sales are excluded from the analysis under Department of Revenue standards — for example, transfers between related parties, foreclosures, auctions or government unit disposals — and that staff publish the sales and property record cards used in valuation on the county website. He said the county added a mobile‑friendly “tax property portal” this year and included informal appeal forms with mailed reappraisal notices.

Council members and Burgess agreed to post the assessor’s presentation and county materials on the town website in an accessible (black‑and‑white) format, and staff said they would share the county’s social media posts explaining the reappraisal.

The presentation closed with Burgess encouraging residents who believe their values are incorrect to file the informal appeal; he offered counterpoints about interior conditions and atypical sales patterns as common reasons values and sale prices differ.

A county reappraisal does not change tax rates; it changes assessed values that taxing jurisdictions will use while they set rates later this spring.