By Ashley Benkarski
NASHVILLE, TN — Parker Toler is running to keep his role as Davidson County Trustee in the forthcoming election.
Toler was appointed to the position with tremendous support in June last year when long-time Trustee Charlie Cardwell passed away.
He worked with Metro Water Services for 35 years before serving two terms on Metro Council and was ready to take on the Trustee position. During his tenure Toler has been a vocal advocate of tax relief and tax freeze programs for seniors, engaging in outreach within the community to educate people on options available to help relieve their tax burden.
It’s an issue Toler sees as urgent due to rising property values and taxes. And when one takes into account that living comfortably in Nashville costs about $80,000 per year on average, the urgency becomes more evident, especially for seniors, veterans and disabled homeowners.
Toler has focused his campaign message on the tax programs which he said many eligible Nashvillians don’t take advantage of either because they feel ashamed or just don’t know they exist.
The tax relief program lowers property taxes for eligible homeowners while the tax freeze program freezes the property tax amount at the current value, not its appraised value. This means the tax bill will stay at the halted amount even if the property’s value increases, though it only applies to the first five acres of the property and improvements made by the homeowner will increase the frozen tax amount.
Currently, tax relief is available for homeowners 65 years or older and disabled homeowners of any age whose total household income doesn’t exceed $29,860. Spouses of deceased homeowners and veterans can also receive tax relief under certain conditions. The tax freeze is available for seniors at least age 65 whose total household income is $42,620 or less. Disabled homeowners and disabled veteran homeowners are not eligible for the tax freeze program.
The tax payment deadline is Feb. 29 and interest will be added to outstanding balances on the first of each month starting March 1. Applicants wishing to receive the benefits of either tax program must file their application and pay taxes in full by April 6. New applicants are required to come to the Trustee’s Office at 700 Second Ave. South, Ste. 220 in the Howard Office Building. For more information about the tax relief and tax freeze programs, call 615-862-6330.
Early voting takes place until Feb. 25, with election day falling on March 3. Toler is being challenged for his seat on the ballot by Erica Gilmore.
Toler encourages constituents to reach out to him via email at parkertoler2020@gmail.com or by visiting parkertoler.com.