As Cuyahoga County property owners brace for increased taxes due to higher valuations, local officials are looking to Columbus for relief.
Cuyahoga County Executive Chris Ronayne and three Northeast Ohio state representatives called on the Republican-controlled majority to act now on property tax relief bills after a recent reappraisal resulted in property values rising an average of 32% across the county.
"At the end of the day, high property taxes is a choice," said State Rep. Bride Rose Sweeney, a Westlake Democrat. "We have the money at the state to pay for property tax relief now."
Sweeney, Sean Patrick Brennan, a Democrat from Parma, and Solon Democrat Phillip M. Robinson pointed to various bills, which included a property tax rebate for low- to middle-income households, a freeze on property taxes for certain owner-occupied homes and state funding models for schools and local governments that would lessen the burden on taxpayers.
"We have the money to pay at the state for property tax relief now," Rose Sweeney said. "We can expand the homestead exemption; we can freeze property taxes for our seniors. And we can offer circuit breakers to get Ohioans relief now."
Cuyahoga County has some relief measures already in place, including an owner-occupancy credit, a military deferment program, a homestead tax exemption and an income-based program that assists senior citizens, disabled homeowners and surviving spouses.
Ronayne said the county is also planning to roll out a relief program this fall that will offer direct relief to vulnerable taxpayers, including seniors and those delinquent on their taxes, ahead of next year's tax adjustments.
But Ronayne said the county is bound to state laws and mandated appraisals, which must happen every six years.
Throughout the summer, the county hosted public meetings to hear from residents, many of whom were concerned their properties were not worth the appraised value or about being able to stay in their homes altogether.
"We hear you; we care about you very much and I want you to know that," said Brennan. "And we're going to fight like hell for you to stay in your homes and stay in your apartments."
Zach Schiller of Policy Matters Ohio, a nonprofit policy research group, said he's not "wildly optimistic" about changes coming from the Statehouse.
"In the meantime, I think it is important that people call their legislators and demand that we see this kind of relief because there are certainly people who need it badly," Schiller said.
Republican State Rep. Tom Patton, whose district includes Berea, North Olmsted, North Royalton, Olmsted Falls and Strongsville, said he was not invited to the press conference but is interested in offering tax relief.
"I am upset that the county did not check with the state before sending [the valuation letters] out," Patton said in a written statement to Ideastream. "We tried twice in the past to freeze property taxes for seniors on fixed incomes and were unsuccessful. We're hopeful this time it will have the support it needs to get across the finish line. We will continue to talk to the constituents and will continue to listen to feedback from our interested parties on this legislation.”
The deadline for residents to file an informal complaint on their home's proposed valuation is Friday, August 30.
As of August 19, the county has received more than 7,000 informal complaints which will need to be completed by Sept. 30. Updated letters will be sent to property owners in late October or early November.
A formal revisions process will open in January.
How can I contest my home's value?
If homeowners do not believe they can sell their house at the valuation price, they may file an informal complaint in pursuit of a lower property tax bill.
There are three ways to do so:
- Online
- Via mail, email (BORinfo@cuyahogacounty.us) or fax (216-443-8282)
- In-person at 2079 E. 9th St, Cleveland
Officials recommend making any copies of documentation ahead of submission. Once they are submitted, documents will not be released back to the property owner. The county will only consider the first submission per parcel.
Property owners may also estimate property taxes using their appraised value on the county's online calculator.
