MURFREESBORO, Tenn. (WGNS) – Rutherford County Mayor Joe Carr is responding to a serious state report that found major problems in how local property values are being assessed.
According to a June 2nd memo from the Tennessee Comptroller of the Treasury, the Rutherford County Property Assessor’s Office failed to meet state standards after being given 60 days to fix earlier issues. A recent review found an 11.3% error rate in property assessments—more than twice the allowable 5% limit.
Because of this, the state will now come in and immediately take over operations of the Assessor’s Office.
Mayor Carr said he was alerted to possible problems in the office by whistleblowers in 2023. As required by law, he reported the concerns to state officials.
"It is frustrating that it has taken so long to move forward, but an issue of this magnitude must be undertaken carefully," Carr said. "The Assessor's Office staff are more than competent; some really good people are there. This is a dereliction of duty and a failure of Rob Mitchell's leadership. For a number of years, he has violated the basic equity application of the law regarding the assessment of property values in this county. Additionally, this violates public trust, and our community deserves better. Based on the error rate of 11.3% and the fact that there are over 130,000 parcels in Rutherford County, there could be as many as 15,000+ parcels that are incorrectly assessed. This needs to be addressed and rectified immediately. My office has been cooperating with the Comptroller's office and will continue to do so. I am committed to ensuring that our county's property taxpayers are treated fairly and equitably.
The mayor added that his office has been working with the Comptroller’s Office and will continue to do so to make sure taxpayers are treated fairly. Carr also said he would not be surprised if Property Assessor Rob Mitchell chose to resign.
Carr thanked the Comptroller and the local staff for working to fix the problems and restore confidence in the system.
