Darlene Plummer

Darlene Plummer is the current Kenton County Property Valuation Administrator, or PVA, who is responsible for assessing the fair market value of property in the county, among other things related to property assessments.

“We do quite a bit more than I think people realize in the PVA Office,” Plummer said. “While our primary function is to assess at 100% fair market value, we also work with motor vehicle values. To an extent, we maintain parcel lines and maps in our office. We administer the homestead exemption and the disability exemptions. So, we do more than just assess the properties.”

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Her opponent in the May primary is fellow Republican and Independence Mayor Chris Reinersman. There are no Democratic candidates for the PVA’s office, so whoever wins the primary will run unopposed in November.

Plummer has a degree in business management from NKU and has worked in real estate for over 40 years. She actually began working for the PVA’s office in 2001 prior to getting elected to the role in 2014. Since becoming PVA, she said, her office has expanded its outreach efforts by planning community information sessions and literature distributions and at local libraries.

“I’m the experienced candidate,” Plummer said. “I’ve built a really strong and educated team here.”

When asked about the state of housing generally in the region, which includes a steady trend of increased values of homes, she said that as a public assessor, she was statutorily required to fairly assess the value of people’s houses.

“I understand that while people want their assessment to be high, no one wants to pay taxes,” Plummer said. “I understand that. So, we proactively monitor trends, local markets [and] national markets.”