What is a PVA?

What in the World is a PVA?

PVA Stands for Property Valuation Administrator. The Property Valuation Administrator (PVA) replaced the old title of “County Tax Commissioner”, or what most people call the Tax Assessor. 

The PVA office is to administrate “ad valorem” taxes. Ad valorem is Latin for “according to value” which bases taxes on the value of the property. The Kentucky Constitution describes property tax as a tax on wealth rather than a tax on the individual. 

Section 172 of the Kentucky Constitution requires all property to be assessed at Fair Cash Value, as of the assessment date January 1, unless specifically exempted. Kentucky law provides for direct supervision of all PVA’s by the Commonwealth of Kentucky Finance and Administration Cabinet / Kentucky Department of Revenue (DOR). Each year the DOR must perform studies on the PVA in each county to determine if constitutional and statutory requirements have been met. 

The PVA’s tax roll must meet required assessment levels and adhere to required standards of equity before the PVA’s tax roll is accepted, and before tax rates may be set or tax bills can be printed. Remember the PVA office does not set tax rates. 

The Goal of the PVA

“Fair Cash Value” according to the Constitution of Kentucky says “All property, not exempted from taxation by this Constitution, shall be assessed for taxation at its fair cash value, estimated at the price it would bring at a fair voluntary sale; and any officer or other person authorized to assess values for taxation, who shall commit any willful error in the performance of his/her duty, shall be deemed guilty of misfeasance, and upon conviction thereof shall forfeit his/her office, and be otherwise punished as may be provided by law.” 

The PVA Does NOT:

• Collect taxes.
• Set tax rates.
• Send tax bills.

The PVA Does:

• List all taxable property in the county.
  • The Mercer County PVA must maintain a roster, or list, of all property and property owners in Mercer County. 

• Assess the value of all property.
  • In order to estimate value, the PVA staff measures and photographs buildings in the county. The staff also maintains maps showing the location of each property. The PVA estimate of “fair cash value” is called the assessment, which is based upon information gathered from costs, the real estate market, and/or income. 

• Prepare the Tax Roll
  • The tax roll is the list of all property, property owners and assessments in Mercer County. The tax roll is available to the public for inspection.