Murfreesboro, TN – Rutherford County Property Assessor Rob Mitchell is speaking out following a pointed critique from Tennessee Comptroller of the Treasury Jason Mumpower. During the October 2025 County Commission meeting, Mumpower delivered a harsh assessment of the Property Assessor’s Office, citing audit findings dating back to 2023. Mitchell, however, says the picture painted by the state is incomplete—and, in some cases, misleading.
In a statement sent to WGNS News, Mitchell called the Comptroller’s October 16 presentation “premature” and “less accurate than current data.” He emphasized that while the state flagged 1,700 accounts for review, his office had already identified those same properties due to a former employee’s health-related performance issues. After a second review, nearly half of those accounts were found to be accurate, bringing the actual error rate down to just over 4%.
Mitchell also took issue with the suggestion that his office had failed to assess certain properties. He pointed to one example where a building was left off the tax roll because it lacked electricity and HVAC—making it legally “not substantially complete.” He defended the appraisal process, noting that mass appraisals are not the same as fee appraisals, and that minor sketch discrepancies, like a $30,000 canopy on a $12 million building, don’t materially affect property values…