Wake County Revenue Director Emmett Curl will retire June 30, 2008. Having served as director for the last 19 years, Curl oversees a staff of 62 and the collection of more than $850 million in property taxes each year. He began working for Wake County in 1973.
A diligent public servant and dedicated member of the Wake County management team, Curl is also one of the leading tax collectors in the state.
“Emmett’s visionary leadership has allowed Wake County to vastly expand our Revenue services, leading the nation in automated telephone and online payment systems,” said County Manager David Cooke. “His foresight, vast knowledge of the local real estate market and attention to detail has repeatedly saved time and money both for the County and members of the community. We will certainly miss him and wish him well as he retires.”
The Revenue Department is so efficient that, while collections have increased steadily under Curl’s leadership, the number of full time employees (FTEs) has actually decreased. When Curl was named director in 1989, 63.8 FTEs issued 488,807 personal and public tax bills. Last year, Curl’s staff of 62 was responsible for assessing and collecting tax on 325,000 parcels, 732,000 motor vehicles and 26,000 business personal properties – more than 1,083,000 accounts.
A leader among his colleagues, Curl worked with other tax collectors across the State to make Wake County’s innovative online business tax listing program available to all 100 counties in North Carolina. The program received the 2003 Ketner Employee Productivity Award from the N.C. Association of County Commissioners.
“During his 35 years of service to Wake County, Emmett has repeatedly worked with other tax offices across North Carolina to change state revenue laws,” added Cooke. Curl has been a leader in the charge to design and implement an integrated property tax system, and performed a key role in the passage of legislation (H1779 during Session Law 2005-294). This law, which will go into effect in 2010, changes the way motor vehicle taxes are billed and collected statewide.
With Curl's leadership, Wake County secured 99.66 percent of all real estate and individual personal property taxes last year, not including motor vehicles. Over the last four years, Wake was the top collector of real estate and individual personal property taxes (not including motor vehicles), continually increasing, from 99.62 percent in fiscal year 2003-2004 to 99.66 in fiscal year 2006-2007.
Regarding his retirement, Curl said that the decision was made after long and careful consideration, and that he is looking forward to being with his grandchildren and wife, Brenda.