JONESBOROUGH, Tenn. (July 28, 2026) — The Washington County Commission moved one step closer to adopting the state of Tennessee’s Property Tax Freeze program during its regularly scheduled meeting on Monday. With a unanimous vote, the board established a Property Tax Freeze Implementation Committee and appointed commissioners Ken Huffine, Freddie Malone and Lewis Wexler as members.

"There is a lot of work ahead to implement this program, but the protection it offers our senior and fixed-income residents will be well worth it," said Washington County Mayor Joe Grandy. "With rising costs and reassessments, many of our long-time residents simply don't have the flexibility to absorb sudden tax increases. This ensures they can stay in their homes with peace of mind."

In addition to the three commissioners, the committee will also include Grandy, Trustee Rick Storey and Property Assessor Robbie McGuire.

Authorized by the Tennessee General Assembly in 2007, the program allows qualifying homeowners to "freeze" the property taxes on their principal residence. If adopted, this would ensure that the amount of property taxes owed by eligible seniors remains stable, following reappraisal or tax rate changes.

During a June work session, the commission heard from Ken Morrell — a representative from the Tennessee Comptroller of the Treasury, Division of Property Assessments — who reported that 27 counties and 36 municipalities in the state have already adopted the program.

Key provisions of the Property Tax Freeze program include:

• Eligibility: To qualify, homeowners must be 65 years of age or older by the end of the year in which they apply. Applicants must own and occupy their principal residence and meet annual income limits established by the state.
• Frozen Tax Amount: Once a homeowner qualifies, their base tax amount is frozen at the level of taxes owed in the year they first enter the program.
• Annual Application: Participants are required to file an application annually with the county trustee to verify continued eligibility.
• Exceptions: The base tax amount may only change if improvements are made to the property that increase its value, or if the homeowner sells their residence and purchases another.

The tax freeze applies only to the primary residence of the qualifying homeowner. Taxes on property portions used for non-residential purposes — such as commercial or agricultural use — are not covered under the freeze.

For more information about tax relief and tax freeze programs, visit www.comptroller.tn.gov or contact the Washington County Trustee’s office at 423-753-1602.

The commission also gave Grandy authority to submit up to three separate applications through the state of Tennessee for the Community Development Block Grant – Disaster Recovery (CDBG-DR) program, administered by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).

The CDBG-DR program provides critical financial assistance to eligible local governments impacted by federally declared disasters. The funds will be directed toward eligible public infrastructure projects addressing the widespread impacts of Hurricane Helene throughout Washington County, including:

• repair and restoration of damaged public infrastructure;
• replacement and reconstruction of severely impacted facilities; and
• long-term improvements to bolster infrastructure resilience against future weather events.

Each application may request up to $4 million, bringing the total potential funding request to $12 million.

In other business on Monday, the board:

• appropriated $150,000 to Visit Johnson City and $68,000 to the Town of Jonesborough to promote tourism in the county;
• approved a non-matching grant to allow general sessions court to implement a Safe Baby Court;
• approved $750,000 for radio replacement for the Washington County Detention Center;
• authorized $100,000 for car and body-worn cameras and $86,000 for taser replacement for the Washington County Sheriff’s Office;
• reappointed John Rotty to the Industrial Development Board of Washington County for a term ending on July 31, 2032.

Grandy also announced on Monday that the Historic Courthouse in downtown Jonesborough will be closed for HVAC repairs on Thursday, Aug. 6, and Friday, Aug. 7. The closure will only impact county offices located in that facility.

The next regular meeting of the Washington County Commission is scheduled for Monday, Aug. 31, at 6 p.m. in Courtroom 7 of the George P. Jaynes Justice Center, located at 108 W. Jackson Blvd. in Jonesborough.

The meetings are streamed on the county’s YouTube channel: www.youtube.com/@WashingtonCountyTNGovernment.