NASHVILLE, TN — The TNAAO, a statewide organization representing all 95 county assessors across Tennessee, presented Davidson County Assessor Vivian Wilhoite with its Outstanding New Member of 2018 award during a meeting with the staff of the Assessor’s Office in Nashville. The award recognizes Assessor Wilhoite for “demonstrating professionalism and leadership” in her representation of Davidson County property owners and the assessment profession across the state.
“I’m humbled by this recognition, but it’s the result of the hard work and dedication of the more than 70 staffers of the Assessor’s Office of Metro Nashville and Davidson County,” said Assessor Wilhoite. “As Nashville has experienced phenomenal growth, our office has worked hard each day to keep up with the changes and invested in the technology necessary to make it as easy as possible for property owners to interact with us. I’m grateful for this award and its recognition of our office’s leadership.”
Assessor Wilhoite has undertaken an aggressive program of community outreach, holding more than 130 meetings with community organizations and neighborhood groups, including a first-ever initiative to reach out to deaf and hard of hearing property owners. The Metro Assessor’s Office has also garnered praise for its publication of a “heat map” showing where property values in Davidson County have risen or fallen. During a 2017 state-mandated reappraisal of nearly 250,000 parcels, properties across the county rose an average of 37%.
In addition to her work at the local level, Assessor Wilhoite was praised for her willingness to assist county assessors in rural areas of Tennessee with significantly smaller staffs and fewer resources by sharing best practices and helping to make assessors aware of policy changes at the State Capitol.
“The level of growth being experienced by Nashville is unprecedented,” said Will Denami, executive director, Tennessee Association of Assessing Officers. “Assessor Wilhoite’s willingness to share her knowledge with her colleagues across the state and across the U.S. has been a real asset to our profession and to the goal of ensuring fairness and equity in valuing property.”
