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Located in the extreme southwest corner of Tennessee (see map below), Shelby County has a population of around 927,600 people, making it the largest county in the state in terms of its geographic area as well as total population. During its antebellum days, the Shelby County economy was solidly based on “King Cotton” but its economy has been increasingly diversified since the mid-20th century. At present, Shelby County has a total geographic area of 785 square miles (2,030 square kilometers).
The county seat is located in Memphis, which features a major port on the Mississippi River, making this region a transportation hub and important economic resource for adjoining states. In addition, Memphis and its surrounding environs attract more than 10 million visitors each year for its wide array of historic, recreational, sports and cultural attractions.
The county’s comparatively low cost of living rating of 92.4 means that it is 7.6 percent lower than the national average and groceries are even more affordable with a rating of just 90.3. Although health care and transportation costs are slightly higher than the national averages, rentals rates in Shelby County range from an average of just $658 or a studio apartment to $1,372 for a four-bedroom house. This enviable cost of living rate, combined with investments in diversifying its economy as well as its numerous historic, cultural and entertainment resources have helped reverse the gradual economic decline that followed the end of World War II.
Although agriculture in general and the cotton industry in particular remain an important component of the county’s economy, Shelby County’s aggressive tourism promotion efforts have paid major dividends and visitors contribute more than $3.2 billion to the county’s economy each year. Likewise, investments in other industries have fueled the job growth rate which increased 2.1 percent in 2018. In other words, civic leaders in Shelby County have leveraged the county’s significant resources to revitalize its economy and provide an improved standard of living for all county residents.
Further, residents and visitors to Shelby County can also enjoy a number of world-class parks and facilities, including Meeman-Shelby Forest State Park. Shelby Farms Park Conservancy, Shelby Farms Park and the T.O. Fuller State Park.
The Shelby County Assessor has played an integral part in helping the county diversify its economy and improve the standard of living for its residents, and the various roles of this important county official are described below.
The Shelby County Assessor’s primary role is locating, identifying, and appraising all real and personal that is located within county borders at market value during periods of reappraisal as set forth in the Tennessee state constitution. The mandated reappraisals required by state law are intended to address any inequities in the market value for real property that may occur over time to ensure equity and fairness in all property taxations. All real property located in Shelby County is reappraised every 4 years while all personal property is appraised each year. The current median home value is $132,800 in Shelby County and homes have experienced an impressive 8.5 percent increase over the past 10 years and this rate has been maintained over the past year.
It is important to note, however, that the county assessor does not determine the actual tax rates for ad valorem tax purposes that are applied to real and personal property assessments as this is the legal responsibility of county and city legislative bodies.
All told, the Shelby County Assessor is currently responsible for assessing more than 351,000 real estate parcels during the 4-year reappraisal cycle. For this purpose, the county assessor employs methods that have been approved by the Tennessee Division of Property Assessments for market value estimation. The Shelby County Assessor is assisted in this enormous mandated undertaking by a skilled team of appraisers which analyzes market sales plus cost and income data pursuant to accepted appraisal practices. In addition, these teams also use a computer-assisted, mass-appraisal system to facilitate the completion of the valuation process in a timely fashion.
The Shelby County Assessor is also responsible for the provision of a complete description of land and improvements, such as dwellings and other building types as well as listing all current property ownership and mapping parcels.
Finally, the Shelby County Assessor also maintains a well-designed Web site with an intuitive interface that features neighborhood sales and real property search portals, GIS map searches, information concerning how to initiative a reappraisal review, a property tax calculator, and a description of the appeals process, among numerous other useful links.
Mr. Melvin Burgess
1075 Mullins Station Road
Memphis, TN 38134
(901) 222-7001
(901) 222-7199
https://www.assessor.shelby.tn.us/Email.aspx
8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday – Friday (except county holidays)
Today, the residents and business owners of Shelby County benefit from the numerous services that are provided by the County Assessor, Mr. Melvin Burgess. As home to a major port city, Memphis, and offering a wide range of recreational, cultural and historic venues, it is not surprising that Shelby County attracts more than 10 million visitors each year. Shelby County’s total geographic area of 785 square miles contains more than 351,000 individual real estate parcels that must be reappraised every 4 years, and this monumental undertaking is accomplished with professionalism and fairness due to the contributions of the Shelby County Assessor and his dedicated staff.