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ISLE OF WIGHT

Isle of Wight County’s Commissioner of the Revenue’s Office recently became one of the first localities in the Commonwealth to receive accredited status from the Commissioners of the Revenue Association of Virginia.

According to the Association’s website, the Commissioners of the Revenue Association was formed in 1919 out of the desire of commissioners to promote a common understanding of the problems faced in the assessment of taxes and the administration of revenue laws. Accreditation, which the Association began offering just this year, is only granted to offices that meet the 12 standards set forth by the Association.

These include educational requirements for the commissioner and staff, customer service, personnel and ethics policies, as well as assessment methodology. Each office receiving accreditation has undergone an audit to ensure compliance and will be required to annually demonstrate that they continue to meet these standards.

On hand to accept the accreditation award on behalf of his office at the 100th annual Commissioners of the Revenue Association Conference was Gerald H. Gwaltney, Isle of Wight’s commissioner of the revenue.

“The Commissioners of the Revenue Association of Virginia developed this program and established the criteria in 2019,” said Isle of Wight Deputy Commissioner of the Revenue Glenie M. Jones. “The Isle of Wight County Commissioner [Gwaltney] established policy goals for the office several years ago as part of his Master Commissioner designation. By doing this, it placed the office in an excellent position to be one of the first offices [in Virginia] to achieve the accreditation.”

Jones added that Isle of Wight is now one of 43 accredited Virginia localities. This is out of a total of 133 localities statewide — including counties and independent cities, but not towns.

“Commissioner Gwaltney has demonstrated a commitment to Isle of Wight County and to good governance,” said Thomas Blackwell, president of the Association. “This is an honor that was earned through hard work and leadership. It signifies that the Isle of Wight County’s Commissioner of the Revenue’s office has met the highest standards of professionalism as set forth by the Commissioners of the Revenue Association of Virginia.”

Blackwell added, “The Commissioners of the Revenue Association of Virginia has always been at the forefront in seeking to improve professional skills and overall performance for the good of the Commonwealth and its localities. In this, our centennial year, commissioners from around the state have worked to attain office accreditation in order to ensure greater accountability and increased uniformity with respect to office procedures for all our taxpayers.”
“This honor recognizes the hard work and dedication of our staff to serve the citizens of Isle of Wight County,” Gwaltney said, accepting the award. “I am very proud of their accomplishment and their commitment to public service.”