The Tennessee Constitution provides for a County Trustee for each county. The elected county office of Trustee was established by the Tennessee legislature based on the ideal that local taxes could best be collected at the local level and, by being an elected officer; the Trustee would be more responsive to the needs of the community at large. The Trustee serves a four-year term.
The Trustee acts as the general banker for the county, serving three primary functions. First, the Trustee sends out notices for property taxes, one of the county's most important revenue sources. The Trustee's Office prepares, prints and mails property tax notices to every property owner. Tax notices are mailed at the beginning of October and become delinquent after February of each year. In addition delinquent notices are mailed twice each year. The Trustee then collects these taxes and issues receipts.
Second the Trustee receives and disburses county funds, keeping accurate records for each transaction. It is recommended that all county funds received by the Trustee's office be deposited daily; however state law requires all funds to be deposited within three days. Revenues are identified by the use of a uniform chart of accounts authorized by the comptroller's office and administered by the county audit division. The Trustee files monthly and annual financial reports.
A third important function of the County Trustee is managing the cash flow of the county and, in some cases, investing idle cash funds. The Trustee works with the county finance committee to ensure that investments are made according to state law and produce the maximum yield of earnings with the highest degree of safety.
Mission Statement
"The Knox County Trustee's office is committed to providing quality service at the lowest possible cost to taxpayers. You can count on outstanding customer service. Your satisfaction is important to us."
