Politics & Government
Mahoning County Government: Auditor Response To Challenge To School Taxing Divides Legislators
The following was sent to the Editor of the Vindicator in response to an article published in the paper on January 30, 2022:
February 14, 2022
For Immediate Release
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Contact – Auditor Ralph T. Meacham, CPA330-740-2010
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February 14, 2022
The following was sent to the Editor of the Vindicator in response to an article published in the paper on January 30, 2022:
The article in the Vindicator on Sunday January 30, 2022 “Challenge to school taxing divides legislators by party” had some omissions and misleading statements. The County Auditors Association of Ohio (CAAO) has issued a memorandum in opposition to the recent amendments to House Bill 126. The CAAO supported an earlier version of the Bill which improved transparency and fairness, but is now opposing the revised version as too restrictive.
As background, some Ohio school districts have aggressively filed Board of Revision actions against residential property owners. In Mahoning County for the last BOR filing period, 202 appeals were filed. There are six Mahoning County school districts that filed actions. They filed 32 complaints and 40 counter complaints, all against commercial properties. The CAAO advocates limiting the ability of a Board of Education to file a complaint when the requested change is less than $100,000 or 10% of the assessed value set by the County Auditor, and further, to prohibit filing against owner occupied and agricultural properties. These provisions would protect property owners from being forced to defend their values and limit commercial filing to significant differences. Mahoning County school boards have not aggressively filed complaints against residential proprieties, but school boards have in other parts of the state.
These measures would not result in revenue loss for schools. Voted school levies generate local funding for schools. As asset values increase or decrease, the amount to schools does not change materially. Tax rates are calculated by the county auditor based on levies. Increases or decreases in assessed values within a taxing district would affect how much each taxpayer is paying, but the net to schools would be materially the same.
This press release was produced by the Mahoning County Government. The views expressed here are the author’s own.
