By Martha Woodward

Newly elected Property Assessor, Phil Ballard, is glad to see the storms rolling on through and he isn't talking about the weather. Immediately after getting settled into office, Ballard's main task was to complete the reappraisals of all Knox County property. Once those reappraisal letters arrived in mailboxes, the phones began to ring in his office and it was as if the bells on the ringers were stuck.

Ballard says his staff handled over 16,000 calls.

"Hopefully, the worst is over," said Ballard. "We are doing everything we can to answer questions and respond to the concerns of the citizens."

The complaint heard the most seemed to center on something like, "No one came to our house and looked around or measured or asked us any questions, so how can you say the value of our property went up?"

Ballard wants everyone to know that the Property Assessor's Office has detailed, complex, and very specific information on file concerning every plot of land, building, and all acreage in this county. "We know everything from the size and shape of every room in your house to the date of any additions or changes made, and down to other very specific details," he said.

"We also use data about all properties around yours, especially noting the latest sale prices from real estate records. Most values went up between 12 percent to 18 percent, with 16 percent being the average. This was going to happen, no matter who was in office."

Ballard's other major problem centered on his hiring of former Property Assessor, John Whitehead. Whitehead supported Ballard during the election and they were often seen together at meetings. However, once Ballard hired him, he found that Whitehead was not a team player.

"John was very contentious with every idea I put forward," explained Ballard. "He would tell me all the reasons why something would not work. Also, the knives were out and when I learned that he was stabbing me in the back, I fired him."

Whitehead is currently drawing unemployment and has announced he will seek to return to the office in the next election cycle.