RE-ELECT
Jennifer Stepp
for Gastonia City Council - Ward V
Passion - Experience - Leadership
A Stepp in a Positive Direction
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CLAIM:
My opponent claims that FEES ARE CONSTANTLY GOING UP and that they are TOO HIGH!
TRUTH:
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Electric rates have not gone up in over TEN YEARS. In fact, they have not increased one cent since 2014! Our fees are some of the lowest in the region and lower than both Rutherford Electric and Duke Energy!
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Stormwater fees have not gone up since 2022 and have only been raised one time since 2014! Our rate is at or slightly below the median rate for North Carolina. Stormwater fees are required by the state.
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Solid Waste Fees did not go up this year. Solid waste fees have gone up just $10 in 13 years – that averages out to less than a dollar a year. So $3.50 a week for household pickup from your house, yard waste removal, leaf removal, free excess trash removal twice a year, and access to two recycling centers. The cost is much less than private collection and much more convenient and, in most cases, less expensive than taking your waste to the landfill yourself!
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Water fees did go up this year by an average of $2 a month. That is simply due to an aging system that needs to be repaired and upgraded and the cost of maintaining the system. Clean water is essential to a healthy life and something we cannot afford to put at risk. Our rates are in line with state standards and lower than most municipalities in the region.
SOURCES:
CLAIM:
My opponent stated he would stop the automatic fee increases!
TRUTH:
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In North Carolina, a city council must vote to approve fee increases, which are typically adopted as part of the annual budget ordinance. Under the state’s Local Government Budget and Fiscal Control Act, the governing board has the authority to adjust rates as part of its final budget decisions. Fee increases are usually incorporated into the city’s overall budget and become official when the council adopts the ordinance by a majority vote of members not excused from voting. Before final adoption, the council is also required to hold at least one public hearing on the proposed budget, giving citizens an opportunity to provide input on potential fee increases along with other items in the plan.
SOURCES:
CLAIM:
My opponent says we have raised taxes!
TRUTH:
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We have not raised taxes – the market has. When home values rose significantly during the last revaluation we tried to offset the increase as much as possible by lowering the tax rate. Our tax rate is the lowest it has been in 20 years. The tax rate has been cut by 6 cents in the last 5 years. Gastonia’s tax rate is lower than many neighboring cities and consistent with most cities in North Carolina. We do pay more because our homes are worth more and taxes are based on the value of your home. That is determined by the market at the time of revaluation. The city does not revaluate; that is done by the county. The state requires it to be done every 8 years but it is usually done every 4 years. We have worked hard not to increase the tax rate by cutting millions from proposed budgets. The cost to run a city and provide you with the services you depend on has increased significantly.
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CLAIM:
My opponent claims tax revenue the city collects has risen $24 million dollars per year since 2018, and infers we have raised taxes to collect that amount or should be able to lower taxes!
TRUTH:
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While that increase in tax dollars is true, it makes total sense. It is simply due to the increase in population, number of homes, and value of homes. The population in 2018 was estimated to be 76,984, the census of 2020 had our population at 80,411 and the population in 2025 has risen to 86,218. More people mean more homes and thus more tax dollars. There were an estimated 33,496 homes in 2018, 36,671 homes in 2020, and 37,911 homes in 2025 – that’s an increase of over 4000 homes that pay property taxes. And the median price of a single-family home in 2018 was $214,825 and in 2025 the median price of a home is $320,000.
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Property taxes are based on the value of a home – if the home is worth more the taxes will be higher. The whole truth is the amount of tax dollars the city collects is due to simple math – more equals more. The tax rate itself has gone down and is the lowest it has been in 20 years. And the budget has gone up in order to service the additional homes and because of rising costs.
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The budget in 2018 was 236.9 million dollars and the budget in 2025 was 346.2 million dollars to provide the same level of service, so those extra tax dollars were necessary to meet the needs of our residents. We have cut millions of dollars from proposed budgets to keep from raising the tax rate.
SOURCES:
CLAIM:
My opponent states we can stop development!
TRUTH:
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Both the City of Gastonia and Gaston County use zoning rules to guide growth and protect communities. Every property is assigned a zoning district—such as residential, commercial, or industrial—which sets the rules for what can be built and how. If a project follows these rules, it can move forward “by right” with only standard permits and requires no government review or approval.
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In North Carolina, state policy is broadly pro-development, and recent legislation has significantly reduced the ability of local governments to restrict growth. While cities and counties still retain land-use authority through zoning and planning, the General Assembly has placed strong limits on how that authority can be used—particularly when it comes to reducing residential density. A 2024 law (S.B. 382) prohibits local governments from “down-zoning,” meaning they cannot reduce the density or permitted uses of land without the written consent of all affected property owners.
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State law also forbids local governments from adopting moratoria on residential development except for very short periods and only for specific public safety reasons. In addition, vested rights protections ensure that property owners and developers with approved projects are shielded from new regulations, preventing local governments from applying updated zoning or planning rules retroactively.
SOURCES:
CLAIM:
My opponent says the city council ignored warnings in a Traffic Impact Analysis about traffic issues that would result from a development!
TRUTH:
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The line of the TIA (Traffic Impact Analysis) that was used for this reference was taken out of context. If there are constraints at intersections, the developer will have to work with the city and NCDOT to satisfy the intersection improvements necessary when certain thresholds are met.
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The developers are required to make the necessary improvements to the roads and traffic patterns as determined by the NCDOT to mitigate negative impacts.
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The car trips per day number was derived at by using a formula that is most often inflated and was calculating 10 trips per house everyday at full build out of 877 homes. There are only going to be approximately 670 homes now, and it isn’t often that all 670 of those homes would take 10 trips a day.
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Additionally, the TIA used for reference was created before the council added a condition that the developer purchase land and build a connector to a signalized intersection at Hudson Blvd., taking a great deal of traffic off Neal Hawkins Road. That condition changed the requirements of the original TIA, meaning that the information being presented is not accurate. Even though this connector was not required in the original TIA, the council felt it was necessary in order to move cars off of a two lane road over to a 4 lane boulevard – for efficiency and safety. We are not ignoring warnings.
SOURCES:
CLAIM:
My opponent made the statement that infrastructure in new developments is paid for by taxpayers!
TRUTH:
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In Gastonia, developers are required to pay their fair share of infrastructure costs when building new projects. This is done through System Development Fees (SDFs), tap and connection fees, and building permit fees.
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SDFs help recover part of the city’s investment in expanding water and sewer capacity to serve new customers, with costs varying by the size and type of development. Tap and connection fees cover the physical work of hooking new properties into the system.
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Developers must also install infrastructure themselves—such as pipes or pump stations—before their projects are approved. This ensures that new development helps pay for the growth it creates rather than shifting the burden onto existing residents.
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From time to time, projects include upgrades that benefit more than just the new development—such as improvements that serve a larger part of the city or prepare for future growth. In those cases, the city covers the portion of costs above what the development itself requires, ensuring fairness while also planning ahead.
SOURCES:
CLAIM:
My opponent claimed the city council gave themselves a raise after taxes went up!
TRUTH:
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The council has only voted for one raise in the last 13 years. That raise was in 2022 BEFORE the revaluation of homes took place and taxes increased. The council has voted against every other proposed raise in those 13 years.
SOURCES:
CLAIM:
My opponent inferred that the city involuntarily annexes developments!
TRUTH:
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Under North Carolina state law, there are three types of annexation. The most common are voluntary annexations, which occur when a property owner petitions the city to be annexed. These can be for property that is directly next to (contiguous) or separate from (non-contiguous) the city limits.
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While involuntary annexation still exists in statute for contiguous areas, it now requires a referendum and the approval of a majority of voters in the area to be annexed—so it’s no longer truly involuntary in practice.
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