(The Center Square) – Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine made good on a veto promise of creating a group to study and offer solutions to combat rising property taxes.
DeWine named two former state lawmakers to lead the Property Tax Reform Working Group, an idea he presented when he vetoed three areas of the budget that dealt with property taxes.
Ex-legislators Bill Seitz and Pat Tiberi will head the group expected to focus on how property tax reform can impact homeowners and businesses. Tiberi is also a former congressman and president and CEO of the Ohio Business Roundtable.
“As property values have increased in Ohio over the last decade, the resulting property tax increases have strained many family budgets and challenged the financial security of many on fixed incomes,” DeWine said in a statement. “Building upon previously expressed concerns and work done at many levels of government, I am forming this Property Tax Reform Working Group to issue concrete recommendations for meaningful property tax reforms that address the needs of property owners, are affordable to our state budget, and protect local schools and other services.”
DeWine vetoed giving county commissions unilateral authority to reduce school levies, adding items to the 20-mill floor calculations for school funding, and banning schools from asking for replacement or emergency levies.
He said those things went too far, too fast and instead offered a plan to create a working group to develop reforms at a more calculated pace.
DeWine wants the group to submit a report with concrete proposals by Sept. 30
The announcement follows a week filled with property tax news, including a call for legislators to return to work July 21 to override DeWine’s three vetoes.
Also, Attorney General Dave Yost, a Republican candidate for governor in 2026, wants county officials to form a coalition to reform property taxes. His call comes as a citizen-led ballot initiative is gathering signatures.
