One of Bartholomew County government’s incoming department heads finds herself in a unique predicament.
“Nobody knows me really,” said Virginia “Ginny” Whipple, a Republican who will succeed Lew Wilson on Jan. 1 as Bartholomew County Assessor.
But Wilson says there’s really only one thing most people in the Columbus area need to realize.
“Ginny is the most qualified person who has ever come into this office,” Wilson said. “Nobody else even comes close.”
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Unlike many other office holders in Bartholomew County, Whipple — who has been entrenched most of her adult life in neighboring Decatur County — has only had a residence in Columbus for the past three years.
The county assessor’s job opened up because Wilson was prevented by term-limit rules from seeking a third term.
Instead, Wilson ran for 59th District state representative in the May Republican primary to replace the retiring Milo Smith. Wilson was defeated in the GOP primary by Ryan Lauer, who went on to win the general election and claim a seat in the legislature.
Wilson will complete the remaining two weeks of his eight years in office as assessor before turning the reigns over to Whipple.
Unlike Wilson, Whipple coasted into office with no competition. That doesn’t mean she’s without apprehensions about her new challenge, however.
“Quite frankly, all my life I’ve always said I would never be an assessor because of the politics,” Whipple said. “I’m not a political person.”
Nevertheless, she will have to deal with at least some political issues. One of them will be the Indiana Board of Tax Review’s order in August that the non-profit Housing Partnerships Inc. be granted property tax exemptions for about 60 housing projects.
Since the state is essentially ordering the county to surrender nearly $1 million in payments to HPI, the assessor’s office is appealing the decision.
The new assessor may also hear from environmentalists who contend that large confined feeding operations for livestock devalue neighboring property.
“I’m not going to make a blanket statement on that subject one way or another,” Whipple said. “You have to look at what is happening in the market right around a particular property.”
While she’s not well known locally, many Decatur County residents who have known Whipple and her husband Bob for more than 40 years.
Her connections extend much wider than that, however. Whipple is recognized as a global leader in her field. She serves as one of nine members of the International Association of Assessing Officers’ executive board.
Personal, career path
Born and raised in Morganfield, Kentucky, a community of about 3,400 residents located southwest of Evansville, Whipple graduated from Union County High School near her hometown in 1969.
It was during the 1970s that Bob and Ginny Whipple moved to Indiana and purchased a farm near Greensburg. For a time, she was a stay-at-home mother to the couple’s two sons, Wade and Matt.
In 1984, Ginny Whipple was hired by the Decatur County assessor’s office to begin computerizing records. Over the next five years, she received enough training through her employer to qualify as a Level 2 assessor.
Since there were only about 20 people statewide who had earned that designation, Whipple was hired by the Findlay, Ohio-based Appraisal Research Corp., which does work for both assessors and auditors across the Midwest.
In 1989, Whipple was assigned to perform tax reassessment work in Connersville. But after she started recruiting and marketing efforts, she ended up being contracted out to 10 counties by 1995 — and then 22 counties in both Indiana and Ohio by 2002, she said.
This success caught the attention of top administrators at Appraisal Research Corp., a firm with 150 employees that brought Whipple into their corporate office in Findlay and made her head of production. Although the corporation provided an apartment in Findlay during the workweek, she drove back frequently to the family farm in Greensburg to be with her husband and sons as often as possible.
The long commutes finally ended in 2006 when Whipple retired from the corporation and founded her own business: Gna Assessment Professionals on County Road 550W, just east of the Decatur-Bartholomew County line.
In 2013, Wilson asked Whipple to assist the Bartholomew County Assessor’s office as an independent contractor. Her responsibilities included providing adjustment and trending support, based on changing values caused by property sales, Wilson said.
Whipple was also present to help the staff during the property appeals process. In the year before she began working in Columbus, the Bartholomew assessor’s office was overwhelmed by nearly 2,000 property tax appeals in 2012. In comparison, 240 appeals were filed last year, she said.
After the most recent reassessment, Whipple said she encouraged Wilson to hold a series of public meetings at areas such as Lutheran Lake and Harrison Lake, where property values increased dramatically.
In 2015, Whipple was asked by Wilson whether she was interested in running to succeed him, she said. While disliking the politics in general, the 68-year-old Whipple says she now sees the job — with its annual salary of $52,819 and medical benefits — as a good fit for her current stage of life.
With more than 30 years of experience, Whipple will take both the organization and staff to a finely tuned higher level, Wilson said.
The outgoing assessor also said he has received many compliments from local residents regarding Whipple’s professionalism and expertise.
The county has already agreed to spend about $140,000 to hire two of her former employees, Phil Griggs of Greenwood and Dean Layman of Columbus, as independent consultants, Whipple said.
However, that is substantially less money than the $252,000 the county has been paying her company this year, she said. When all things are considered, the assessor’s office will save about $100,000 annually after she takes office on Jan. 1, Whipple said.
Although Chief Deputy Assessor Rita Carr is scheduled to retire at the end of the year, Whipple said she’s already told the current office staff that their jobs are secure.
Whipple’s list of her priorities include ensuring fair and equitable taxes for all, as well as continuing education for staff members to keep them keep up with current assessment trends and information.
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Age: 68
Birthplace: Morganfield, Kentucky
Residence: Has lived in Columbus for the past three years. She and her husband, Bob, have also owned a farm in Decatur County since the 1970s, which they still have.
Qualifications: Designated as an assessment administration specialist by the International Association of Assessing Officers. She is also one of nine members of the association’s executive board.
Education: Graduated from Union County High School (Kentucky) in 1969. Has taken continuing education classes at both Henderson Community College and IUPUC.
Previous employment: Owner of Gna Assessment Professionals, Greensburg. Will no longer operate the company after taking office on Jan. 1.
Family: Husband, Bob. Two adult sons, Wade and Matt.
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