Attorney General Dave Yost on Wednesday urged elected county officials to form a coalition to reform property taxes in Ohio before a citizen-led ballot initiative simply eliminates the system.
“Ohioans are as angry as I’ve ever seen them – and rightly so,” Yost said. “These inflationary tax increases are hurting everyone and, in some cases, are forcing people out of the homes they worked their entire lives for.”
Speaking this morning to the leaders of the Ohio Council of County Officials, a group representing all Ohio’s county elected officials, Yost noted that from 2020 to 2024, property taxes jumped nearly 19%, to the tune of $3.8 billion. Owners of residential and agricultural properties bore the largest share of the tax burden, due to increases in property valuations.
Drawing on his experience as a former county auditor and former state auditor, Yost observed that schools, counties, and local governments – all of which rely heavily on property taxes to fund operations – need to lead on property-tax reform before it is simply eliminated. Ohio homeowners are clearly and vocally fed up with ever-rising property taxes and will no longer tolerate the related losses in personal income.
Yost predicted that a citizen-led ballot measure aimed at abolishing property taxes in Ohio, which seems likely to make an upcoming ballot, would pass easily. He warned the local leaders to get ahead of this issue now or risk dealing with public finances in chaos.
“Lead now, or the people will surely blow up the property-tax system,” Yost said. “Reform will be painful, but not nearly as painful as trying to replace $20 billion in revenue that supports schools and local government.”
