The Ohio General Assembly has once again failed to seize the opportunity to establish true property tax reform for Ohio communities.
As the governor’s signature and veto ink dries on the recently passed budget, it remains clear leadership is more interested in gimmicks and headlines than in sustainable property tax relief that Ohioans need and deserve.
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For seven years, the Franklin County Auditor’s Office has advocated for balanced, meaningful reforms aimed at lowering property taxes for the residents and businesses of Franklin County. Yet, time and again, these efforts have been met with inaction.
Instead of collaboration, we see blame shifting and short-term fixes that do little to address the systemic issues driving property taxes higher across the state.
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Despite the introduction of well-researched, bipartisan proposals aimed at providing targeted relief to help homeowners, Ohio leaders continue to toss aside these solutions in favor of hastily drafted proposals with little vetting and potentially harmful consequences for local communities.
Budgets are about priorities.
If rising property taxes are the issue legislators hear about the most, as they claim, why did so much of this budget focus on unrelated items that leave taxpayers scratching their heads?
Ohioans deserve more than discussions; they deserve results. It is time for the General Assembly to stop kicking the can down the road and start delivering real, responsible tax reform that protects homeowners, sustains communities and puts people — not politics— first.
Michael Stinziano is the Franklin County auditor.
Michael Stinziano, Franklin County Auditor
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Real reason Ohioans won’t get property tax reform we deserve | Letters