Assessor: $343 million added to Bradley County tax roll; value of a budget "penny" about $500,000
May 05, 2026 | Bradley County, Tennessee
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County Assessor Stanley reported to commissioners that about $343,000,000 in new appraisals — driven by new construction, subdivisions and added personal property — were added to Bradley County's tax roll this year.
"343000000 in appraisal was added to the tax roll this year," Stanley said, and said the additions include both new parcels and prorated homes. He told the board that more than 600 parcels are newly listed on the assessment roll this cycle and that the dollar value of new assessments matters more for revenue than the year-over-year percentage change.
The presentation included a budgeting figure for the value of a county tax "penny." Commissioners and staff said that earlier years' values — when a penny was worth about $324,000 — have risen; the board discussed using a working value of roughly $500,000 per penny for this budgeting cycle. Stanley also offered geographic context, saying the 261 zone contains about 20,238 parcels while the 810 zone has roughly 11,600, and that larger commercial and industrial additions in outlying areas were lifting growth percentages there.
Commissioners pressed staff on how to translate that penny value to the fire rate and other subarea rates. Mayor Davis suggested modeling the different rate calculations in a spreadsheet before making final recommendations, saying commissioners should "crank it out" to see the impact of averaging across zones.
Why it matters: Even modest percentage growth on a larger base produces substantial revenue dollars for county budgeting. Commissioners emphasized that budget planning should focus on additional dollar revenue rather than only on percent increases and flagged the need to keep expense growth aligned with rising revenue.
Next steps: The assessor's figures will be used for budgeting assumptions this cycle, and staff will model rate calculations for county and fire-specific rates based on the presented parcel and appraisal breakdowns.
"343000000 in appraisal was added to the tax roll this year," Stanley said, and said the additions include both new parcels and prorated homes. He told the board that more than 600 parcels are newly listed on the assessment roll this cycle and that the dollar value of new assessments matters more for revenue than the year-over-year percentage change.
The presentation included a budgeting figure for the value of a county tax "penny." Commissioners and staff said that earlier years' values — when a penny was worth about $324,000 — have risen; the board discussed using a working value of roughly $500,000 per penny for this budgeting cycle. Stanley also offered geographic context, saying the 261 zone contains about 20,238 parcels while the 810 zone has roughly 11,600, and that larger commercial and industrial additions in outlying areas were lifting growth percentages there.
Commissioners pressed staff on how to translate that penny value to the fire rate and other subarea rates. Mayor Davis suggested modeling the different rate calculations in a spreadsheet before making final recommendations, saying commissioners should "crank it out" to see the impact of averaging across zones.
Why it matters: Even modest percentage growth on a larger base produces substantial revenue dollars for county budgeting. Commissioners emphasized that budget planning should focus on additional dollar revenue rather than only on percent increases and flagged the need to keep expense growth aligned with rising revenue.
Next steps: The assessor's figures will be used for budgeting assumptions this cycle, and staff will model rate calculations for county and fire-specific rates based on the presented parcel and appraisal breakdowns.
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