Town hall shows frustrations over property taxes
Ohio State Rep. David Thomas, R-Jefferson, addresses a property tax town hall organized by state Rep. Gary Click, R-Vickery, in Fremont, Ohio.
- A group seeking property tax elimination in Ohio has submitted a petition for a constitutional amendment.
- The group, Citizens for Property Tax Reform, cited rising home values and legislative inaction as reasons for their proposal.
- The petition requires approval from the Attorney General and the Ohio Ballot Board before signature gathering can begin.
A group of homeowners who are fed up with high property tax bills want to get rid of that tax altogether.
Cuyahoga County-based Citizens for Property Tax Reform is pushing for a proposed constitutional amendment to ban property taxes in Ohio. The group submitted a petition to Attorney General Dave Yost’s office on May 1, the first step in an arduous process to get an issue on the ballot.
“What we wanted was the legislators to do something meaningful for us,” said Beth Blackmarr, a spokesperson for the group. “That’s not off the table. But short of that, what choice do we have? We’re getting run out of our homes.”
Signal Ohio first reported that the petition was submitted.
Homeowners across Ohio have been grappling with high property taxes since home values skyrocketed two years ago. The state has a backstop to ensure rising values don’t automatically lead to tax increases, but the benefit of that varies by school district.
In 2023, the average reappraisal increase was an unprecedented 34.7%, according to researcher Howard Fleeter.
Ohio lawmakers have debated property tax relief for months − and even formed a special committee − but they can’t agree on a solution. The Ohio House passed a budget that would lower property taxes in school districts with more money in their savings. Critics say that hurts districts trying to be fiscally responsible.
In addition to schools, property taxes help pay for police, libraries and local infrastructure projects. No state has abolished the property tax. Still, Blackmarr contends Ohio could find other ways to fund those services, such as relying more on income taxes.
At the same time, she said the amendment is “an action of last resort” and called on the Legislature to come up with a different option.
“People want to pay their fair share,” Blackmarr said. “There is no question about that.”
Yost’s office must decide by May 9 whether Citizens for Property Tax Reform checked all the boxes for their petition. If approved, it goes to the Ohio Ballot Board before advocates can start collecting the 413,487 required signatures to get on the ballot.
State government reporter Haley BeMiller can be reached at hbemiller@gannett.com or @haleybemiller on X.