COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) – Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine vetoed four property tax relief measures in the state budget, leaving Republican lawmakers at odds about what comes next.
“[It is] very disheartening to see that the veto was done on pretty much the strongest property tax measures that we've had in the legislature since this crisis started,” Ohio Rep. David Thomas (R-Jefferson) said.
For the past several years, Ohio lawmakers have been hearing the call of Ohioans to do something about skyrocketing property taxes. Lawmakers have introduced dozens of bills to try and address the issue for all Ohioans. Though dozens of bills have been introduced, only policies like homesteaded exemption measures, which help a fraction of Ohioans, have actually made it across the finish line.
What the state’s new flat income tax will mean for OhioansOhio lawmakers ended 2024 with a goal of passing meaningful relief in early 2025. For the past six months, Ohio lawmakers have been working on the state operating budget. At first, leaders were hesitant about putting relief into it.
Then, an idea, tied to the amount of money schools have, made it into the budget, and several more followed, including an adjustment to millage and an elimination of replacement levies. Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine vetoed all of those.
So, what’s next?
Ohio Republicans do not quite agree on the best course of action. Ohio Rep. Bill Roemer (R-Richfield) co-chaired a property tax study committee with Ohio Sen. Bill Blessing (R-Colerain Township). Roemer takes the side of a veto override.
“We're going to see if we can get 60 votes in the chairs in, in the House and the votes needed in the Senate,” Roemer said. “We're going to see if we can get those done over the summer. If we can't, we will look at doing that when we return in September, in October, whenever that happens to be. The veto override is the best approach.”
What’s the effect of governor’s line-item vetoes on Ohio public school funding?Roemer said that while it is important to keep working on the other bills that have been introduced, he thinks this issue is too urgent to wait several more months.
“The people in Ohio are paying among the highest property taxes in America,” Roemer said. “We want to make sure that people can afford to stay in their homes, and we also want to make sure that schools and agencies are properly funded.”
Blessing agreed that property tax relief is needed as soon as possible, but he does not agree that the measures in the budget at the right way to do it. While they would save Ohio homeowners billions of dollars, he and others worry that those proposals would gut funding to public schools, police, fire and other agencies funded through the tax.
“I would not be in favor of overriding the vetoes,” Blessing said.
He said that all those relief policies will do is “shift local dollars around.”
Columbus Zoo tickets’ price could increase to help support Liberty Township Fire and EMS“There's the assumption that there's all this waste and overspending at the local level; I'm just not sure that there's merit with that,” he said. “And if I'm right about that and these vetoes are overridden, then you're going to see one of a couple of things: a lot more levies on the ballot or you're going to see a lot of services cut, which I think, frankly, either one of those outcomes would be unpopular.”
Blessing said instead of trying to enact the measures vetoed by the governor, lawmakers should look to legislation like his Senate Bill 215 that would redesign homestead exemption in the state.
“Which I think is probably the best means-tested homestead exemption out there and admittedly, it is state-funded,” he said.
Which property tax veto is most likely to be overridden? Of all the measures, Blessing said the least harmful to be enacted would be the elimination of replacement levies.
Here are the different types of levies:
A “renewal levy” reinstates an already existing levy. A “renewal with an increase,” reinstates an already existing one with an increase. A “replacement” recalculates property taxes owed based on the latest valuation of one’s home, oftentimes resulting in an increase.“That, out of all of the proposals out there, is probably the low-hanging fruit that I could easily see an override occurring versus some of the other ones that are more controversial,” Blessing said. “I'm not really a fan of it on a personal level just because these are tools that [local governments] used to raise revenue. I don't think there's anything sneaky or untoward that they're doing with these replacement levies.”
How to get your unclaimed Ohio funds before they go to the Cleveland Browns“Those are all very confusing to property owners and voters when they go to vote. And it's not transparent,” Thomas said.
What is the governor suggesting? DeWine wants to convene a new working group to study the issue and come up with new recommendations.
“Well, I think we have to do it,” he said. “I think that, after hearing from many Ohioans, I felt that the provisions in this budget would put an undue, very abrupt, create a significant problem for our local school districts, and we have to find solutions for our property tax problem.”
But lawmakers already had a study committee last year, that came out with 21 recommendations. Roemer said the committee took a “very lengthy, in-depth approach to the issue, and Blessing and Thomas agreed that studying the issue more is not the direct solution.
“When I saw that, my first thought was, ‘I thought we did have a lot of testimony on that with the Joint Committee on Property Tax Review and Reform,’” Blessing said. “But at the end of the day, if he wants to do another task force, I would be more than happy to serve on it. I think a lot of the fundamental sticking points and issues are going to remain the same. I think it would probably be the same people coming in and testifying.”
How Bishop Sycamore scandal led governor to veto part of Ohio’s budget“That is exactly what is not needed,” Thomas said. “We've already done the studying. We know the areas to tackle. We know what to go after to help our taxpayers. The last thing Ohioans need are more committees. We really need bills to get across the finish line and for tax bills to be decreased for next year.”
House Speaker Matt Huffman (R-Lima) said he is already having conversations about veto overrides.
“As with every budget, there are always some disagreements on specific provisions,” he said. “While disappointed in the vetoes, I am in the process of talking with members of our caucus, many of whom have already expressed an eagerness to return to the Statehouse soon to consider veto overrides, particularly in the area of property tax relief passed by the legislature. Our caucus is mindful of the urgency many Ohioans are feeling.”
Senate President Rob McColley (R-Napoleon) has also expressed disappointment in the vetoes.
“These are kitchen-table issues that hard working families understand, and the General Assembly needs to strongly consider acting on their behalf to implement these vital changes that would return the property tax system to its cost controlled guardrails as originally intended,” McColley said in a joint statement with Senate Finance Chair Jerry Cirino (R-Kirtland).
Right now, lawmakers are not scheduled to have House or Senate session until October.
Read More Details
Finally We wish PressBee provided you with enough information of ( What's next for Ohio property tax relief? )
Also on site :