Ohio’s governor and attorney general have respectively launched property tax reform initiatives that are designed to quell the growing discontent regarding how property owners are being taxed.
Gov. Mike DeWine announced the formation of his Property Tax Reform Working Group, to be co-chaired by former legislators Bill Seitz and Pat Tiberi. The working group is being tasked with identifying how to provide meaningful property tax relief to homeowners and businesses while ensuring that funding for government services remains adequate. The working group is asked to issue a report with concrete proposals by Sept. 30.
The working group was created after DeWine vetoed three property tax reform measures in the state’s budget – a provision granting county budget commissions authority to unilaterally reduce a levy passed by voters for a school district or other taxing authority under certain circumstances; a provision for certain tax levies to be included in the 20-mill floor calculation for school funding purposes; and a provision eliminating the power of school districts and local governments to levy replacement property taxes. Legislators are considering an override of the vetoes.
“As property values have increased in Ohio over the last decade, the resulting property tax increases have strained many family budgets and challenged the financial security of many on fixed incomes,” said DeWine. “Building upon previously expressed concerns and work done at many levels of government, I am forming this Property Tax Reform Working Group to issue concrete recommendations for meaningful property tax reforms that address the needs of property owners, are affordable to our state budget, and protect local schools and other services.”
Separately, Attorney General Dave Yost is calling on county officials to form a coalition to reform property taxes. Yost noted Ohio’s property taxes spiked by nearly 19% from 2020 to 2024, for a total of $3.8 billion, with residential and agricultural property owners carrying most of the burden.
“Ohioans are as angry as I’ve ever seen them – and rightly so,” Yost said. “These inflationary tax increases are hurting everyone and, in some cases, are forcing people out of the homes they worked their entire lives for.”
Yost’s call is being driven by a grassroots initiative to end Ohio property taxes, an effort that he opposes.
“Lead now, or the people will surely blow up the property-tax system,” Yost said last week to a meeting of the Ohio Council of County Officials. “Reform will be painful, but not nearly as painful as trying to replace $20 billion in revenue that supports schools and local government.”
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