The increase hasn’t been mandated yet, but County Auditor Nancy Nix tells the Journal-News they have been given every indication an average 24% property value jump will be ordered. This is on top of the average 20% hike in the bulk of the county from the 2020 reevaluation.
Her Real Estate Director Mike Stein told the Journal-News he expects to get final numbers from the tax commissioner’s office next week.
State Sen. George Lang said he intends to be at the meeting with the tax commissioner and the West Chester Twp. Republican will encourage his fellow state lawmakers to follow suit.
“I think it’s bulls—t, I want to push back hard,” Lang said. “Our citizens just got hit in some of our communities with a 20% increase a few years ago and then now come back with a 24% increase on top of that, without even taking into consideration what the local folks have to say. That to me is an atrocity.”
The letter to Harris indicates they want to discuss the impact the coronavirus pandemic has had on the real estate market, “a topic of discussion may be do the current economic circumstances warrant a unique interpretation of post-COVID recovery and a reframing of economic principles on property valuations.”
It later goes on to say, “the world, nation, and most applicably, the state of Ohio is recovering from a pandemic that economically devastated Butler County residents and businesses. Let’s not bring greater harm to these families and businesses as all recover in a new economic normal post-COVID.”
Dixon told the Journal-News when the pandemic first hit and droves of people were quarantined, the rules of supply and demand kicked in, “they were bringing 10%, 15%, 20% above appraisal prices just because there was no supply, so that was the after COVID effect that we’re now in,” but those values aren’t realistic now.
County Administrator Judi Boyko said she hasn’t gotten a response back from the invite yet.
Just because values are increasing doesn’t necessarily mean all individual taxpayers will see that big of a bill. For instance, taxing bodies cannot collect more money than voters approved for levies such as fire and police, so some people might see a reduction as more growth happens.
A number of things combined to create the higher tax bills most people recently received, the Butler County commissioners and Board of Developmental Disabilities erased temporary tax breaks, new tax levies in Fairfield and Madison Twp. and the fallout from former county auditor Roger Reynolds’ two-year war with the state.
With the uncertain post-COVID economy, the commissioners declined to extend the $18.5 million property tax holiday and the Butler County Board of Developmental Disabilities also canceled their tax break. The combined impact was roughly $84 per $100,000 in home value.
West Chester Twp. Fiscal Officer Bruce Jones thanked commissioners on Monday for both the previous tax break and effort to stave off another huge value increase.
“You are wrongfully being maligned by some people, I commend you for the tax holiday you gave property owners last year, but it reminds me of the old adage no good deed goes unpunished,” Jones said. “You gave everyone a break and now it is part and parcel of the perfect storm that has hit everyone.”
Reynolds lost his appeal over the 2020 reevaluation last fall, so tax bills for 2020 and 2021 had to be recalculated for residential and agricultural properties Reynolds challenged in Fairfield, Hamilton and Fairfield and West Chester townships, and the adjustments were on the first half tax bills.
That meant 48,999 taxpayers in those areas — where the bulk of the county’s population resides — saw tax bill adjustments totaling $6.1 million.
The tax commissioner ordered Reynolds to increase values an average 20% in Fairfield, Hamilton and West Chester Twp. and 23% in Fairfield Twp. On average, the commissioner accepted Reynolds’ 14% increase in other areas.
District 45 State Rep. Jennifer Gross visited the West Chester Twp. trustees this week and they asked her what she can do about the anticipated value hike and likely higher tax bills to come.
Trustee Lee Wong said, “in the real world all I know is my property tax keep going up, since I come here it’s over $5,000 to live in my own house, every year, how do you like that.”
Township administrator Larry Burks noted the tax bills also impact the township’s ability to attract new businesses “that could easily eliminate us form a site selection process.” Plus, they are competing with Indiana and Kentucky for new businesses and jobs.
“It makes it more difficult when we continue to see the significant increases in our property valuations and that equates to tax pain,” he said.
Gross told the trustees she would be willing to work with them individually or as a group, “formally, officially, any way that I can.”
“I am absolutely against it,” Gross said. “I will do my best to represent you well, as you know I am one of 99, but I’m a bit of a rebel sometimes when it comes to these things.”
She also said the state executive budget calls for a 20% spending hike and she doesn’t agree with that either.
Jones told the trustees Dixon mentioned it is going to require a strong, united front from the various jurisdictions to hopefully keep values from skyrocketing and he urged the trustees to give their support. They asked him to stay in touch with the commissioners on when the meeting with the tax commissioner might be so they can be there.
Dixon told the Journal-News he has had some informal discussions with other local leaders about the fight against another big value jump.
“We need to get our game plan together and see how we’ve going to do like a blitz attack, a pincer attack,” he said adding he will likely send a letter to the other jurisdictions next week.
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