COLUMBUS, Ohio (WLIO) — Gov. Mike DeWine says Ohio’s newly signed property tax reform strikes a balance between providing relief for property owners and continuing to fund schools, agencies and organizations across the state.
The five bills DeWine signed into law before Christmas will not take effect until March. As a result, property owners will not see how the changes affect their tax bills until second-half payments are due this summer.
DeWine said property taxes could still rise due to cost-of-living increases but added there should not be a significant spike in future bills. He also noted the reforms will increase transparency for voters when deciding on tax levies.
“When you vote on an issue, it's going to be clear to you what exactly you're voting on, and it's going to be for the schools or for whoever is putting that levy up. It's going to be clear to them how much money is going to be generated, you know, each each and every year. So more transparency, more clarity for everyone. We hope that this is, you know, will achieve something that is very, very positive for the people in the state of Ohio,” says Gov. Mike DeWine, (R) Ohio.
Property tax funds support more than schools, including park districts, councils on aging and public safety services. Officials say the reforms will be closely monitored to ensure those entities continue receiving necessary funding.
“But if you think it's a problem, then you need to be talking to your legislator. You need to be contacting him or her, your state senator, your state representative, because we want to monitor this. We want to see how it's working. We're just taking a big step. We think it will help. The question is, what does it do enough and but do we also have the money that we need to run to run our schools,” adds DeWine.
With property tax reform now signed into law, lawmakers will turn their attention to developing the state’s capital budget to fund projects across Ohio. In recent years, the capital budget has included funding for future development projects, including Memorial Hall and park projects throughout West Central Ohio.
