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 (Please email elizabeth.sullivan@nashville.gov for countywide meeting 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) will receive 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. Please also see our website for more information, to view your property information specifically after the corresponding mailing date, and to contact my office if you have concerns – http://www.padctn.com/. Phone: 862-6080.

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 the Property Assessor’s website to view specific information about your property, and to see information about the process for informal review and appeals.

Please see the Property Assessor’s website for more information and to contact us – http://www.padctn.com/. Thank you for your time and please don’t hesitate to contact us if you need more information.

George Rooker, Jr.

Assessor of Property

615-862-6080