A working group of eleven members from around the state will meet Thursday to come up with ways to help Ohioans who are frustrated with high property taxes. The group was convened by Gov. Mike DeWine, who vetoed four property tax related items in the new state budget.
DeWine said while property taxpayers say they're struggling to pay soaring bills, many important services are mainly funded at the local level. He said the working group of former lawmakers, citizens and community members will have to consider the impact of their efforts on homeowners and renters, and on and those local services.
"The two big goals are we have to get relief to those who really need the relief and second, we have to continue to be able to support our schools in the state of Ohio. And our fire. And our police. We've got to do all of the above and we can," DeWine said.
There are no current lawmakers on the panel because legislative leaders didn't want to appoint anyone. A bipartisan legislative joint commission came up with 21 property tax law changes earlier this year. Three were included in the budget, and they were all vetoed by DeWine.
Lawmakers have criticized DeWine's group, saying they studied the issue in that commission last session. But DeWine said this diverse group he's called together has a mandate.
"This is serious business," DeWine said. "It needs to be done. And we've asked them to work on it and we've asked them to do a good job but also get it done in 60 days."
DeWine said he can't guarantee the group will deliver recommendations that will be put into law, but he hopes their work will prompt community conversations.
"It really brings out a full discussion. And then we can get down to these serious questions. And the serious question is we have to fund our schools. We have to fund our mental health in this state. We have to do a lot of different things," DeWine said.
Republican lawmakers reduced income taxes in the new two-year, $60 billion state budget with a 2.75% flat tax. But DeWine said he hears more complaints from Ohioans about property taxes, which is something lawmakers have also said repeatedly. But Republicans said their property tax measures in the budget would have provided relief.
The Ohio House overrode the veto that eliminates emergency, replacement and other kinds of levies, but there weren't enough votes to override the other two items on the schedule. The Senate will have to act on whatever vetoes the House overrides, and no date has been set for senators to return. The legislature has until the end of next year to override DeWine's 67 line-item budget vetoes.
