The following op-ed is written by Kenton County Property Valuation Administrator Darlene Plummer, a candidate for reelection in the Republican primary on May 17
My name is Darlene Plummer and I am running for re-election as the Kenton County Property Valuation Administrator, commonly known as the PVA.
It has been said that if you find a job you love, you’ll never work a day in your life. Being your PVA is that job for me!
Thanks to your trust and confidence, I was elected as your PVA almost 8 years ago. Prior to that time, I served in almost every critical position in the PVA Office over the last 20 years. That experience has been invaluable. My decision to seek another term gives me the opportunity to continue my dedication and service to Kenton County.
My tenure in the PVA office has allowed me to institute, organize and administer improvements where needed, but also to carry on the best practices and valuable knowledge my mentors and past PVA administrations provided me. As the Administrator, I am grateful for and rely on a competent and hardworking Team, as well as proven and unified working relationships with other County offices and leaders.
Kenton County is the third largest county in the Commonwealth of Kentucky, consisting of approximately 60,000 residential and 5000 commercial/industrial properties. From the County’s perspective, the most apparent duty of the PVA office is to assess all real property in Kenton County at 100% fair market value. As such, I oversee the methods to attain that requirement and manage the multiple responsibilities of my Team involved in producing those results. With such a large number of properties, this task is challenging. However, the experience I’ve accrued as a result of my involvement in so many of the properties over my career helps in this task. I am proud of the database, historic records, technological tools, and the local and national resources the PVA Office utilizes to fulfill its duties. My ultimate goal is to acquire a true CAMA program within the next 4 years, advancing the Kenton County PVA Office into the technological realm it deserves.
At times, opinions of fair market value vary between the assessor and property owners. The PVA office addresses these differing opinions through the appeal process. I have been involved in the appeal process for decades, and have professionally dealt with individual property owners, attorneys, property tax appeal representatives and corporate clients. In every case, I remain committed to being transparent and equitable.
As the Property Valuation Administrator, I often hear “you raised my taxes”. While the PVA Office does not set tax rates or collect taxes, I am very aware of the PVA’s work as it impacts property owners financially and it is not something our office takes lightly. Our office also realizes the impact our assessments have on the cities, school districts, and other municipalities of Kenton County voters, all of which rely on revenue streams related to the values determined by the PVA office. The importance of the impact of maintaining fair and equitable assessments is a constant reminder of my fiduciary responsibility to Kenton County.
If you have any suggestions on ways I can better serve you as your PVA, please visit my website at darleneplummer.com. As a recent graduate of the National Association of Counties’ High Performance Leadership Academy, I am reminded that “Feedback is a Gift”. I am always open to ways I can become the best PVA I can be and welcome your suggestions.
I humbly ask that you extend your continued trust and confidence in me by voting for Plummer for PVA on May 17.