More than a dozen bills are pending in the Ohio Legislature right now. And lawmakers say property tax relief is one of the issues their constituents are concerned about. This General Assembly closes at the end of next month, and if existing bills are not passed by then, they will have to start the process all over next year.
House Speaker Jason Stephens (R-Kitts Hill) said he doesn't think any major property tax reform will happen before the end of this year.
“Any more sweeping property tax legislation is going to take a lot of conversation," Stephens said.
While speaking to reporters Tuesday, Stephens - a former county auditor - explained the issue is complicated. And he said lawmakers are serious about wanting to pass some relief.
“I know that the property tax commission is working very hard to get a consensus as to what is a doable solution for property taxes by either making it more simple or maybe have another set of hearings or making it a little more thorough process to put a levy on the ballot," Stephens said.
A joint committee met for several months to consider the issues involved in property tax reform, but no report from that panel has been released. Homeowners in many parts of the state are bracing themselves for high property tax bills after new valuations increased more than 30% in some cases.
Some elements of tax reform plans have been incorporated into budgets. And the Ohio Legislature has passed a couple of bills to provide limited property tax relief to some people. SB43 is now allowing surviving spouses of disabled veterans to take advantage of the Homestead tax provision. And HB57 has provided property tax assistance for some low-income and disabled senior citizens.
But bills that would provide more comprehensive fixes, like one that would cap the amount of property tax a resident would have to pay, have been stymied. There has been talk of putting a property tax fix in the form of an amendment before voters, but that hasn't come to fruition either.
