Can Ohio pass property tax relief this year?

COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) -- Rising property taxes are one of the top complaints state lawmakers say they hear from Ohioans but the clock is ticking to get something done before the new year when lawmakers will have to start from scratch.    

“We’ve been talking about this for months,” Ohio House Minority Leader Allison Russo (D-Upper Arlington) said. “This is a choice not to take action. There are many solutions that give direct support to property owners that have bi-partisan support.”

“I’m hopeful [we will pass something before the end of the year],” Ohio House Speaker Jason Stephens (R-Kitts Hill) said. “Property taxes, as we’ve talked about, is a very complex issue.”   

There are about 20 property tax bills that have been introduced these past two years to help bring Ohioans relief. Most of them are bipartisan, but efforts to pass them have been stalled, leaving Democratic leadership frustrated.    

“I don’t know that we’re going to get them done,” Ohio Senate Minority Leader Nickie Antonio (D-Lakewood) said. “I would love to see us be able to at least do the Homestead Exemptions and expand that.”    

“I think this is a matter of having the political will to step up and provide people with real relief,” Russo said. “Clearly, this election showed, people feel the impact of rising costs across many factors, one of which is the rising cost of housing, property taxes and we should be doing all that we can to address those issues here in the general assembly.”  

This issue is also a top priority for Republicans, but Stephens said it is complicated. 

“It’s like a three-pronged stool, if you will, because the voters in every taxing district vote their own taxes, they pay those taxes to that local fire department, school, whatever,” Stephens said. “And if that is going to go down, if the taxes are going to go down for the taxpayer, then the revenue is going to do down for the local government unless the state comes in and subsidizes those taxes.”    

Stephens said it is something lawmakers have been talking about and working on for months.  

“I know the property tax committee is working very hard on getting a consensus as to what is a doable solution for property taxes,” he said. 

A property tax study committee was supposed to issue a report with the best solutions has yet to happen. Co-chairperson of the committee Rep. Bill Roemer (R- Richfield) said his goal is to have it out in December after consulting both Democratic members and Senate members.

“I want to try to come to some sort of consensus in the House report, whether I can do that or not... I can't guarantee, but I'm going to try,” he said. “After Thanksgiving break, I will work with the Senate and hopefully we will [reach a consensus].” 

Roemer said he expects, as far as legislation, for most of the big policy items surrounding the issue to be put into next year’s budget. If the property tax policy is put in the state operating budget, it will likely move along quicker than a typical bill and likely pass by the end of June. 

Roemer and Stephens agree that some smaller items could still be passed by the end of this year.    

“Whether making it more simple or making a more thorough process to put a levy on the ballot in the first place, those are the types of things I think we could do during lame duck,” Stephens said. “Any major sweeping property tax legislation is going to take a lot of conversation and we’ve had a lot of conversation these past two years, but it is still because it affects so many entities and every property owner in the state.”    

Lawmakers have until the end of the year to pass any of the several bills introduced over the last two years. Any legislation that fails to pass will have to be reintroduced and the process to have them approved would start all over again.