COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) — Rising property taxes are impacting Ohioans across the state as state lawmakers start from scratch on possible relief. 

“It is frustrating,” Ohio homeowner Pastor Frederick V. LaMarr said. 

Back in August, LaMarr shared his frustrations with the lack of action at the Ohio Statehouse. Since then, several promises by leaders that something would get done were broken, leaving homeowners, especially those on fixed incomes, in a lurch.  

“If you don’t stay true to your word, make it a priority, then it’s kind of difficult for people to believe,” LaMarr said. 

This comes after lawmakers kicked the can down the road for two years straight and while some relief was passed, Ohioans still are feeling the pain. Some have pointed to the approval of levies for that. 

“That’s politics. Politics, everybody want to point the finger, point the finger, ‘It ain’t our fault, it’s their fault,’” LaMarr said. “’Y’all should have been more informed when you’re voting.’ Okay. Well, everybody don’t understand all this.” 

LaMarr owns several homes that he rents out to seniors, up to age 84. He said property tax bills for all of his homes are going up, but he does not want to pass that on to his renters, so he is left to figure out how to absorb it all. 

But a new year and a new general assembly is bringing in new ideas. 

“It’s hard to say, ‘Trust me,’” Rep. David Thomas (R-Jefferson) said. “But the amount of action that we’ve already taken in less than two months, I think, has shown that we are very serious on this issue.” 

Thomas is new to the Ohio Statehouse and a former county auditor. House Speaker Matt Huffman (R-Lima) said Thomas is leading the charge on introducing several property tax bills. 

“One policy here, one policy there will not make that big of a difference,” Thomas said. “But everything together will have a big impact.” 

What kind of changes are Thomas and other lawmakers looking at? 

“We’re not going to blow up the system,” Thomas said. “You can’t blow up the system because when you pull one lever here, you’re going to have a lot of negative aspects over here and so what we’re going to have to do is attack the property tax aspect from all these different angles.” 

First, Thomas said he wants to start simple, by doing things like bringing more transparency to both ballot levies and property tax bills. 

“When the taxpayer gets their bill, when the taxpayer votes on the levy, what are they looking at? And are they able to make an informed decision with where their tax dollars are actually going? And then you have to look at the service side,” Thomas said. “Are we able to fund those essential services at the local level with the dollars the taxpayers are giving to their local entities?”    

Thomas is also looking to get more detailed and do things like evaluate something called the “20-mill floor.” 

“It is one of the big reasons we’ve seen spikes and increases in taxes over the years,” Thomas said. “That system is a guaranteed tax rate that local schools receive. Everyone, I think, can agree that schools or any entity should not be receiving more than what the inflation amount is if it’s not being voted.” 

Thomas said he is working on a bill to “tamper down” the growth of revenue that is due to inflation. 

“That’s something long term,” he said. “But in terms of evening out the spikes, that will make a big difference for almost 500 school districts and the people that live in those school districts across the state.” 

Something other House members are working on is a deferment program for seniors. It was one recommendation of several in a property tax study report done by lawmakers. 

“We know tax bills are relatively consistent but when they’re spikes in tax bills, which is what we’ve seen over the past several years, there should be some way to defer or to spread out that payment,” Thomas said.  

A big question is whether that deferment program will have interest. Thomas said an interest rate may be necessary for the time being. 

“The interest rate, I think, is one way to make this almost a revolving loan fund for our seniors, and that makes it sustainable so that down the road, when the state hits a hard time,” Thomas said. “So, I would probably envision that being the case for the short term and then we actually see where the health of that fund is and then we might be able to pull that back.” 

Even with the interest rate, the idea is that the seniors would not pay it; it would be a cost to the buyer when the property sells or transfers. 

How soon is relief coming? Thomas said it depends on who you are. 

“If you’re a senior and you’re on a fixed income, I would say expect some relief for next year,” Thomas said. “If you are a normal, average person that has a property, has a home, it will depend on what your situation is.” 

“If I’m bleeding right now, if I’m hurting right now, just to tell me y’all going to find a remedy years on down the road doesn’t serve me right now,” LaMarr said. “Do something quick, because we are back here again.” 

Thomas and House Speaker Matt Huffman (R-Lima) said their ideal situation is that several small and targeted property tax relief bills pass the Ohio House and are sent to the Senate within these next few months. 

The Senate is also working on several relief bills that have already had at least one hearing.