Rep. Brown Piccolantonio: Republicans' Veto Override Leaves Local Communities Holding the Bag, Still No Real Property Relief for Majority of Ohioans

COLUMBUS – State Rep. Beryl Brown Piccolantonio (D-Gahanna) today voted “NO” on the vote to override a school district property tax levy restriction provision vetoed in House Bill 96 (the state operating budget). Line-item 66 would eliminate several types of levies, limiting the choices voters have in how to support their schools and local governments, and would not provide real property tax relief to Ohioans. Real property tax relief is one of the most pressing needs for everyday Ohioans. House Democrats are ready and willing to work together to get that done.

“We’ve now known for years that the structure of our system is putting an unbearable strain on many of our community members and that we need to do something to fix it. Item 66, which would limit the types of levies our taxing jurisdictions can use, does nothing to provide property tax relief to homeowners, but it does hurt our schools, our fire departments, our children’s services agencies, services for seniors and on and on. 

What’s even more infuriating is that we actually have bipartisan legislation that we know would provide real relief without hurting our communities. These bills have not moved forward. Instead, we are depriving our communities of needed resources while simultaneously tying their hands as they scramble to make up the difference,” said Rep. Brown Piccolantonio.

Thanks to public advocacy, the two other provisions that were supposed to be called onto the floor today were not called.

Instead of the state providing real tax relief, Republicans continue to prioritize property tax proposals that benefit the wealthiest Ohioans and that give handouts to billionaires for sports stadiums. Republicans are passing the buck to get schools and local communities to pay the price for wasteful state spending.

During this General Assembly, House Democrats have introduced several bipartisan pieces of legislation to help Ohioans lower their property taxes that the Republican supermajority have failed to act on. They include:

• HB 103 (Troy, T. Hall) - Double Homestead Exemption for Seniors
• HB 143 (Brennan, Mathews) - Double Homestead Exemption for Long-Term Homeowners
• HB 156 (Isaacsohn, T. Hall) - Freeze Property Taxes for Seniors
• HB 365 (Brennan, D. Hall) - Enact the Property Tax Refund Act 

The legislation introduced by House Democrats would bring about real property tax relief that is targeted, state-funded, and wouldn’t come at the expense of our local communities.