Taxes leaving people in the dust

PERKINS TWP. — Many locals expressed serious concerns about property tax increases they're expecting to see on their 2025 tax bills and spoke up about their frustrations and desires for solutions at a forum on Friday. Over 200 residents and local officials attended the question-and-answer forum Friday afternoon at the UAW Hall on Hayes Avenue (Ohio 4) in Perkins Township. The forum was co-sponsored by Serving Our Seniors and the Sandusky Register. Matt Westerhold, the executive editor of the Register, facilitated the forum along with Sue Daugherty, the executive director of Serving Our Seniors. The hour-and-a-half-long forum is available to view at sanduskyregister.com and on the Register's YouTube channel. The three panelists were: • D.J. Swearingen, state representative for Ohio's 89th House District, which covers Erie County • Rick Jeffrey, Erie County auditor • Caleb Stidham, Erie County treasurer A fourth panelist, State Sen. Theresa Gavarone, R-Bowling Green, was unable to attend due to a bereavement. More than a dozen attendees asked questions and voiced their concerns to the panelists about how high property taxes caused by increased property valuations are causing more financial strain on people struggling to get by. Here's a snapshot of some of the questions asked by concerned residents: • "I thought that when my husband and I turned 65, we would qualify for the Homestead Exemption Act, but we did not. What are the requirements or limitations for the Homestead Exemption Act?" one woman in attendance asked. Note: The Homestead Exemption is a statewide property tax reduction program for seniors, according to the Ohio Senate website. It applies to homeowners 65 and older, among other groups, and has an income cap to determine eligibility. • "I recently got an evaluation on my property, and (the property value) increased by 85% from six years ago. Going into the next year with that increase, I will be paying about $10,000 a year in property taxes alone. My property taxes now exceed any house payment I have ever made," one man in attendance said. • "Is there somewhere we can write letters to, at the state or local level, regarding the issue of high property taxes?" one man in attendance asked. • "What kind of mechanism could there be to determine what houses are owner-occupied or purely rental properties?" one woman in attendance asked. What are some solutions? The panelists brought up a series of possible solutions and identified what causes high property taxes. Some of the possible solutions include the following: • Jeffrey said that county residents living in four area school districts — Huron, Vermilion, Edison and Margaretta — are covered by what's known as the 20-mill floor. The 20-mill floor means school districts will receive a minimum support of 20 mills from taxpayers even if voted-on tax levies did not reach that millage level. If districts receive no support from their community in the form of certain local tax levies, they are guaranteed the cash equivalent of 20 mills. "I think the question before the (Ohio) legislature is ... Do we believe that if a district wants more money it has to ask for it? Or do we believe that the school district deserves its inflationary money?" Stidham said. But those taxing agencies can choose to voluntarily forgo collecting those additional tax dollars; panelists pointed to the Erie County commissioners' recent decision to cease collection of property taxes in 2025 as an example others can follow. "Your local entities don't have to take more money," Stidham said. "Call your township trustees, call your city council, call your city commission, call your school board, ask, 'Are you getting more property tax revenue next year?'" • Swearingen suggested taking a wholesale approach to reforming the property tax structure in Ohio, which requires legislative action and looking at all taxes from a global perspective. "In Ohio, we will have to pay for very important things like our bridges, roads, police, fire and our schools," Swearingen said. "The global question going forward should be, 'What is the most fair way to implement that in the state of Ohio through our operating budget, income taxes, sales taxes and property taxes.'" • Stidham suggested urging the state legislature to build on the owner-occupancy credit, defined as a tax reduction available to homeowners at their primary residence. "The nice part about these tax credits — and there are three: owner-occupancy, non-business and the Homestead," Stidham said. "The state is reimbursing the local community for these roll-backs, so you pay less as the taxpayer, but the districts and the local entities are made whole by the state making a contribution." Stidham added that those who rent out their property to somebody else or run an Airbnb should pay more in property taxes than someone who lives in their home.