The Representative's Corner

Like you, my wife and I recently received our Cuyahoga County property tax bill. Also, probably like you, ours went up a lot, much to our chagrin.

During my first term serving you in the Ohio House of Representatives, I served on the Ways and Means Committee, which is the committee tasked with reviewing proposed laws involving taxes. Know that I was very vocal about providing property tax relief before the recent increases went into effect. We knew this was coming and I was hopeful that we could do something at the Statehouse in advance to provide relief to Ohio’s property owners and renters, whose rents are rising due to their landlord’s property taxes rising.

Unfortunately, most of my colleagues disagreed and, instead, supported a state income tax cut, which primarily helped very high income individuals. I expressed how I hear daily about property tax concerns and literally never about state income taxes. Unfortunately, House Bill (H.B.) 57 was the only property tax relief bill that passed. It adjust the Homestead Exemption for seniors to inflation, which is a step in the right direction, but not enough.

Below are the other the bills that I co-sponsored that would have provided real property tax relief. Unfortunately, none of them achieved enough support and died at the end of 2024. I am in talks now with my colleagues to reintroduce them in hopes for success this time.

H.B. 60 - The Homestead Exemption Expansion Act would raise the tax exemption of a property’s value from $25,000 to $40,000, providing nearly $250 million in targeted relief to an additional 75,000 seniors.

H.B. 187 - The Ohio Homeowners’ Relief Act would modify the way counties calculate property values by weighing property values for the past three years rather than just one. This averaging would help protect homeowners from large tax increases as a result of the property valuation adjustments occurring in one year.

H.B. 263 - The 70/70 Plan would freeze property taxes for residents aged 70 and older whose incomes are less than $70,000.

H.B. 645 – The Circuit Breaker Act would provide a rebate of up to $1,000 to homeowners and renters whose property taxes or rent exceeds 5% of their income. This would provide nearly $1 billion in relief for over 1.3 million middle-class homeowners and renters.

High property taxes are the result of both the choices that the Legislature has made and the ones it has failed to make. Ohioans vote on levies more often than any other state in the country, yet other states boast stronger property tax relief programs. In the last decade alone, Ohio lawmakers have eliminated the 12.5% rollback that used to lower all levies, allowed the homestead exemption to be eroded by inflation, and cut local government funding in half. When the state decides to pay less, it results in our communities either paying more or having to cut services. It is time for the state to pay its fair share of property tax relief instead of continuing to expand local levy reliance. The most impactful proposals would cost less than 1% of the state’s $95 billion dollar budget.

The state should fund additional, means-tested property tax relief that is targeted to seniors and working people.  It breaks my heart when a resident calls my office to tell me that they don’t know how they are going to be able to stay in their home or apartment with all of the rising costs. I stand firmly committed to working with my Democratic and Republican colleagues at the Statehouse to provide property tax relief to all homeowners and renters in Ohio.