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WENTWORTH — Residents who packed a room at the Rockingham County Governmental Center on Monday got more than they bargained for when the Board of Commissioners voted to delay the scheduled revaluation.

Residents came to hear commissioners address their concerns about the revaluation voiced in a Feb. 9 meeting. But after a presentation by county officials that reviewed the revaluation process, Vice Chairman Harold Bass moved to put it off another two years.

"As it stands now, I'm in favor of delaying the revaluation process till 2011," Bass told his fellow commissioners.

The unanimous vote was followed by applause and excited chatter.

"Hooray for the people - the will of the people," said Eden resident Norma Kelly. "I was really surprised that Harold made the motion. I just did not expect it."

The vote was a culmination of two months of work by Rockingham County residents. Led by Eden lawyer Thomas Harrington, they gathered thousands of signatures on petitions urging the commissioners to halt the revaluation. The process updates tax assessments of real property based on the current market value.

About 750 people attended the four-hour hearing earlier this month to express their displeasure about the revaluation.

Many residents complained of inflated property assessments and questioned why the commissioners would proceed with it during a recession.

Rockingham County did its last revaluation in 2003 and is required to revalue property at least every eight years.

Dot and Jim Bush of Eden said the commissioners' decision shows what can happen when residents work together.

"When we unite, we can become a great country again," Dot Bush said. "Democracy will work."

Harrington said the commissioners did the right thing, given the troubled state of the economy. "Nobody knows where this economy is going, but we better be afraid of it," Harrington said.

Contact Jonnelle Davis at 627-4881, Ext. 126, or jonnelle.davis@news-record.com