The committee concluded on New Years Eve with an 800-plus page report listing options, but not prioritizing them. This is a starting point as state lawmakers take up the issue of property tax reform in a new General Assembly this year.
Here is a complete list of all the committee’s recommended solutions for the Ohio General Assembly from the report:
- Consider expanding the traditional homestead exemption and an enhanced exemption for disabled veterans including a means-tested increase in the benefit.
- Review the Senate Select Committee on Housing report and consider pursuing the recommendations in which there are direct connections between housing and property taxes.
- Consider temporarily revising the sexennial reappraisal and triennial property value update schedule so that there are an equal number of counties or parcels being reassessed each year.
- Consider allowing counties to temporarily, for three years, implement a three-year averaging for property valuations. Additionally, a mechanism could be explored to allow the usage of either the current formula or the three-year averaging, whichever produces a better result for taxpayers.
- Consider lowering the acceptable percentage of market value from 90% to 85% used when calculating market value changes during a mass appraisal sales ratio assessment.
- Consider increasing the number of public meetings required to be held by a taxing authority prior to levying a tax to promote transparency to taxpayers.
- Consider authorizing a property tax circuit breaker as proposed in Senate Bill 271 and other bills pending before the Ohio General Assembly.
- Consider adopting a property tax deferral program for homeowners.
- Review how and when LLCs transfer and record property with the county auditor.
- Consider expanding the limitations at the board of revision on property value and tax complaints initiated by parties other than the property owner and consider limiting the options for appeal by these non-owners.
- Review the effectiveness of property tax exemption programs and evaluate the efficacy of their use and potential misuse.
- Consider clarifying or expanding, if needed, the powers of each County Budget Commission to oversee the application and collection of voted and unvoted millage for all jurisdictions inside the county.
- Find ways to simplify the process of levying and collecting property taxes and investigate ways to make it easier for all Ohioans to understand.
- Consider removing the authority of the Department of Taxation to order adjustments to county auditors’ proposed property values.
- Consider requiring that emergency and substitute tax levies be included in the calculation of a school district’s 20-mill floor and consider requiring a public hearing before changing unvoted property tax millage in order to increase revenue as proposed in Senate Bill 308.
- Consider reducing the maximum term and renewal options for emergency, substitute, and continuous tax levies.
- Consider eliminating replacement tax levies.
- Consider clarifying the terminology and narrowing the uses of emergency and substitute tax levies to prevent the use of funds for nonemergency purposes.
- Consider reviewing current tax increment financing (TIF) law.
- Consider reviewing the distribution formula for guaranteed inside millage to promote fairness based on taxing authorities’ current day services and funding needs.
- Consider reforms to the Ohio Constitution that promote transparency and predictability for the taxpayer and provide more flexibility to the Ohio General Assembly.
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