LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- The roughly 60 employees at the Jefferson County Property Valuation Administrator’s office are being asked to reapply for their jobs ahead of the first newly elected PVA in 12 years.
“I would assume most everybody’s gonna be rehired," outgoing PVA Tony Lindauer told WDRB in a phone interview Monday.
But Lindauer said those decisions are up to his successor, PVA-elect Colleen Younger, who is the office's current chief of staff.
Lindauer, who was first elected in 2006, told employees in an email on Monday morning that they would all be terminated as of Nov. 30, and that they would receive a subsequent email from Younger “regarding continuing employment."
Younger, who has worked under Lindauer since 2011, said in an interview Monday that the office is following "standard operating procedure" for transitions between elected officials.
The state Finance Cabinet, which oversees county PVAs, confirmed that PVA employees are hired and fired "at will" -- meaning they have no special protections against termination like other types of state workers.
Younger said employees will be asked for reapply for their jobs by Nov. 26 with a resume and statement about why they would like to continue with the office, and employment decisions will be made by Nov. 30.
She said she doesn't anticipate a significant change in the staff when she takes over on Dec. 3.
"I don’t think you can expect any kind of mass firing or mass termination or anything like that," Younger said.
Younger, a Democrat, trounced Republican John May in the Nov. 6 election.
The PVA is the county’s chief tax assessor, assigning official fair-cash values to real estate and personal property for tax purposes.
Reach reporter Chris Otts at 502-585-0822, cotts@wdrb.com, on Twitter or on Facebook. Copyright 2018 WDRB News. All rights reserved.
