Republican newcomers, Amber Ezell and Tabitha Strader, are going head-to-head to be Christian County’s next Property Valuation Administrator, and the pair discussed property valuation matters at a recent forum hosted by the Hopkinsville League of Women Voters.
The candidates are not strangers to the local PVA Office. Strader has worked with the office for 18 years, and Ezell has worked with the office for 21 years. At the forum, the pair highlighted their work experience, discussed how they would navigate conflicts of interest and explained how they would minimize assessment errors.
When it comes to handling political pressures and conflicts of interest, Ezell says it would be easy to unfairly assess properties to make residents happy, but she is bound by state law to be fair across the board while assessing properties.
Strader also does not believe conflicts of interest will impact her PVA duties. While assessing properties, Strader says she remains unbiased, and if owners don’t agree with her valuation, they can appeal her decision and have it reviewed by a board.
To reduce assessment errors, Ezell says neighborhoods need to be evaluated independently. She says neighborhoods may have associations and restrictions that impact property values.
Regarding possible errors, Strader says once assessment notices are delivered, property owners have an open inspection period where they can visit the office and ask about value changes and review information concerning the property.
Strader and Ezell will face off in the primary election on May 19, and the full forum is available on Facebook at League of Women Voters – Hopkinsville, KY.