Please note that multiple public meetings have been held in Inglewood,
Madison, East Nashville, and Goodlettsville in recent weeks.
Correspondence from Property Assessor George Rooker
Re: Countywide Property Reappraisal
April 2009
Dear friends - As you are probably aware, Davidson County is going through a
property reappraisal. I appreciate the many questions that you probably have
about this process. I am very interested in answering your questions
thoroughly and listening to your concerns carefully. Please see the broad
facts below as a starting point for discussion.
Public meetings countywide: Public meetings have been scheduled around the
county by many Council Members. If you are unable to make the meeting in
your area, please feel free to attend any that will work with your schedule
(see www.padctn.com <http://www.padctn.com/> for schedule). Each meeting
will include a quick, 20-minute power point presentation with Q and A
immediately following.
Notice mailing dates and property information updated online: My office will
mail property reappraisal notices to approximately 232,000 property owners
throughout April. The southeastern portion of the county (including Council
districts 13, 16, 17, and 26-33) received notices around April 10. The
northern portion of the county (including Council districts 1-15, excluding
13) received notices around April 17. The southwestern portion of the county
(including Council districts 18-25, as well as 34 and 35) will receive
notices around April 24.
Here are important broad facts to get us started:
1) Why does the Property Assessor's office reappraise homes? To restore
fairness. We are required by state law to reappraise property values
periodically so the city may distribute the property tax burden fairly.
2) Why do we have a property tax? The property tax funds about half of
the city's annual budget, which pays for services - fire and police
protection, public schools, parks, corrections, libraries, trash collection,
and so on.
3) How do you determine my property's value? Much like when you bought
your home, we conduct an appraisal - which means we visit every property in
the county to determine if and how the property has changed (or not). Then
we compare each property in the area to similar properties in the same area
that sold near January 1, 2009 (creating market value)
4) I know my property value has fallen... The reappraisal process
happens every four years. The last reappraisal was done in 2005. Most
properties in our city gained value throughout 2005, 2006 and part of 2007.
Data show us that values have fallen since the summer of 2007, but not
enough to outweigh overall gains. At the end of the day, most home values
have produced a net gain since 2005.
5) The county may not make a "profit" from the reappraisal process. If
the appraisals for the entire county show an increase in overall property
values, the property tax rate (the multiplier) is reduced to neutralize the
gain. The discussion about the property tax rate continues from there. The
Property Assessor's office does not determine the final tax rate.
6) My assessment seems wrong... We want to set your property value
correctly and fairly. We encourage you to check our work and inform us of
any errors about your home's characteristics (number of bathrooms, for
example). Please see your property data sheet on the website
(www.padctn.com) to view specific information about your property, and to
see information about the process for informal review and appeals.
Thanks for your time and please don't hesitate to contact my office if you
have questions.
George Rooker, Jr.
Assessor of Property
615-862-6080
Elizabeth M-K Sullivan,
political consultant
615. 474. 5679 cell
