The Ohio House of Representatives passed a bill this week focused on providing property tax relief to Ohioans.
If enacted, the Ohio Homeowners Relief Act would modify the procedures used by the tax commissioner to conduct property tax sales assessment ratio studies. Specifically, the bill would require the commissioner to work alongside local elected officials and weigh the past three years of a county’s property values in order to determine property taxes instead of just one.
The bill, called a “direct legislative response to increases in property taxes,” by its sponsor, State Representative Thomas Hall (R-Madison Twp.), now heads to the Ohio Senate.
“This common-sense bill will protect vulnerable Ohioans and provide peace of mind to those who have concerns about paying for necessities, such as groceries, as a result of property tax increases,” Hall said during a floor speech regarding his legislation. “Let’s keep Ohioans in their homes and make our state a better place to live.”
Ohio State Representative Al Cutrona (R-Canfield), who cosponsored and voted in favor of the bill, added in a statement, “It’s been one of my top priorities to provide property tax relief for Ohioans here in Mahoning County. Property tax owners, whether that’s seniors, farmers, or others, should not be burdened with both high inflation and rising taxes. I’m optimistic that as this bill moves over to the Senate, we can get a final product that saves money for our taxpayers.”
Hall has also introduced a bill aimed at helping protect disabled veterans and seniors 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, would “help seniors and disabled veterans maintain financial stability and stay in their homes by indexing the homestead exemption to inflation.”
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Kaitlin Housler is a reporter at The Ohio Star and The Star News Network. Follow Kaitlin on X / Twitter.
