COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) — NBC4 Investigates is digging into month-over-month complaints about rising property taxes in central Ohio.

Dozens of people NBC4 Investigates spoke with in Franklin County said they are struggling after their home was valued much higher than they expected. Multiple people in South Columbus said their property taxes have doubled and even tripled. We dug through the complete and sorted data and it backs up their claims.

Property value reviews happen by Ohio law every six years. Now think of the growth we’ve seen in the last few years: that led to a historic increase. People who have lived in Columbus for decades told NBC4 they are struggling to figure out how to stay in their homes.  

It’s a worry a local faith leader in the Driving Park area hears often. Pastor of Family Missionary Baptist Church, Frederick LaMarr, is also a landlord. He rents to seniors and even though his tax bill went up he didn’t pass that on to his tenants.

Lately, he’s afraid the people who come to his church might get priced out of the area. 

“First of the year when they got them tax bills and, you know, tax bills was outrageous,” said Frederick LaMarr, pastor of Family Missionary Baptist Church. 

LaMarr and other church leaders say they’ve heard from many, especially seniors about the weight these bills carry.

"We’ve lived here, watched the change watched when these houses when they start selling these, some of these houses were $30,000, $40,000 and then it went up to 200, 300, 400," said Cecil Ahad, the president of the Men for the Movement. 

Others in the community, like Loyce Hopkins, are taking the cost on themselves. She has owned her home in the area since the 1970s, retired in 2000 and has been on a fixed income ever since.

She was sick and when she found out she could appeal her value, the deadline had passed. She’s been left with a bill she doesn’t know how she can afford.

"When I got my tax statement, it had gone up from $679 to $2,300," Hopkins said. "It was a shock."

A home is evaluated on improvements, recent sales around it and neighborhood appeal.

 "I haven't done any changes. It's just been upkeep," Hopkins said. 

She doesn’t understand why she’s seeing her property value go up when she says she’s seen the neighborhood go downhill.

"When I first moved here, the apartments were very well-kept. And when Rickenbaker was there, it was a nice place. And now it's just consistently gone down with the apartments and they increase the prices and moved people out and many of them now boarded up," Hopkins said. 

More than 1,000 homeowners in Hopkins’ zip code, 43207, also took issue with their property value and appealed. Closer to Pastor LaMarr’s church, the Driving Park neighborhood - 43206 - 613 homeowners requested an appeal. The average value reduction was just under nine percent.

That’s something Hopkins wishes she could see too.

"I don't have any idea of how I can pay it. And I'll just have to let all the bills go just in order to pay the taxes," she said. 

She’s working with Pastor LaMarr to get answers

"It’s terrifying to think that I could lose the house," Hopkins said. 

Anyone who still wants to appeal will have to wait until the end of the year to start that process.

"I can survive until November and pray that something is going to happen in November, that I can get some get some results," Hopkins said. 

The next opportunity for homeowners to appeal their property taxes is in November. That will be through the Board of Revisions process. More information on how to do so can be found here. 

NBC4 Investigates checked how many people did ask for a second look when they first had a chance, and just how many were successful in their appeal. The Franklin County Auditor provided data on homeowners who requested a property value review. Sorting through more than twenty thousand properties showed which areas saw the biggest impact when homeowners requested a review.

One man who had his home value successfully changed is Paul Marsh. After living in Hilliard for 20 years, he got his tax bill and knew right away he was going to appeal.

"It showed it was going up like two and a half times," Marsh said. "I couldn't figure out why it was, you know, so much more."

His property value did go down after the appeal by 13%, and every dollar counts.

Franklin County Auditor Michael Stinziano explained his office's reasoning behind the price increases. Much of it has to do with the growing interest in Franklin County, thanks in part to population increases and tech industry potential with Intel's fabrication plant under construction, and data centers accompanying it.

"Part of the property value update is looking at what real estate trends are, and central Ohio has not been a leader just in the state of Ohio, but across the country in terms of a very active real estate market," Franklin County Auditor Michael Stinziano said. 

The value increase is great for selling a home, but not for residents staying put. Marsh wants to stay in Hilliard, so he appealed.

"They gave you a map and they show you the houses around your area, you know, what they sell for," Marsh said.  

Looking through thousands of data points, Marsh’s zip code of 43026 was where the most homeowners asked for a value review -- more than 2,000. Stinziano said while the entire area is seeing an increase, some places -- like Grandview Heights -- felt it more than others.

"That's been consistent. That is not where we saw the biggest increase, though," Stinziano said. "Those were more in the affordable communities across the county." 

One of those communities with the largest increases is Whitehall, which spans over three zip codes. More than two thousand homeowners requested a review in the 43213, 43219 and 43227 zip codes combined.

On average, Whitehall homeowners saw a 12 percent decrease after appealing. Others, like Reynoldsburg, saw about a 10 percent decrease after appealing.  

For many, it’s not enough.

"The current process, while some predictability is not workable for all residents, particularly those that feel they're going to be property taxed out of their neighborhood," Stinziano said. 

Ohio law states that every six years auditors have to notify all property owners of changes in their property values.

"Demand’s a big piece, recent sales. But if there's home improvements, if there's other factors going on in the neighborhood, so say there's an entertainment district, a hospital, a high-ranking school district, those components will also impact that valuation," Stinziano said. 

 He says that if there is going to be change, such as a neighborhood reduction program, property tax caps, or more support for seniors, that will have to come from legislation at the Ohio Statehouse. Stinziano noted bills that addressed this were introduced in 2023, but none passed.