VOICES: Proposed legislation could help Ohioans with increased property taxes

Ohio has higher property taxes than the majority of the United States.

Property tax in Ohio is calculated using the tax rate and property valuation from the pervious year. County auditors are mandated to reappraise property values every 6 years. Auditors also update property values in the third year of this period so that the information accurately reflects the market value.

The State Tax Commissioner recently recommended a 42% increase in property value and a 110% increase on farmland in Butler County, resulting in steep projected increases in property taxes. 13 other Ohio counties are also experiencing these projected increases.

There is no doubt that these increases in property taxes will hurt the vast majority of Ohioans, who already have concerns about paying for basic necessities due to inflation.

So, I began to ask myself, my colleagues, and my local elected officials—how do we keep Ohioans in their homes and protect our constituents from the devastating financial strain caused by property tax increases?

I have had the honor of spearheading a number of important pieces of legislation so far this General Assembly, two of which protect Ohioans from the rising cost of property taxes.

House Bill 57 passed out of the Ohio House with unanimous support and was included in the recently passed State Operating Budget. This bill will help seniors and disabled veterans maintain financial stability and stay in their homes by indexing the homestead exemption to inflation; it will decrease inflationary risk for these vulnerable Ohio populations.

House Bill 187, also know as the Ohio Homeowners Relief Act, will modify the procedures used by the State Tax Commissioner to conduct property tax sales assessment ratio studies to produce fair property valuations. Specifically, this legislation will have the Commissioner work alongside local elected officials and weigh the past three years of a county’s property values, instead of solely relying on the previous year, to determine property tax. The Ohio Homeowners Relief Act has received three hearings in the House Ways and Means Committee with overwhelming proponent support.

I believe these bills will change lives and allow Ohioans to thrive in our great state. I look forward to seeing other legislative ideas for property tax reform come to fruition when we return in the fall!

State Representative Thomas Hall is serving his second term as state representative. He represents the 46th District, which encompasses eastern portions of Butler County including Monroe, Middletown and also the central portion of New Miami.

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