Ohio
Should Ohio eliminate property taxes? Citizens’ group moves to put issue on ballot
COLUMBUS, Ohio — After years of rising bills and growing frustration, a group of Northeast Ohioans want to outlaw property taxes.
The proposal to amend the the state Constitution would fundamentally reshape how schools and other local services operate in Ohio.
Citizens for Property Tax Reform, a Cuyahoga County-based group, took its first step Thursday by submitting a petition to Attorney General Dave Yost. Yost must determine whether the summary to be circulated around the state is accurate.
To qualify for the ballot, organizers must gather signatures from more than 400,000 registered voters.
“It’s time for the citizens of Ohio to pick up the torch and finally make the necessary changes,” according to the group’s website.
Since 2019, statewide collections of real property taxes (residential and commercial) have surged from about $15.6 billion to $20.3 billion, according to data from Ohio’s Department of Taxation and the Legislative Budget Office.
Increases were driven by skyrocketing home values, high inflation and rising construction costs.
“Here’s the worst part of it all,” Citizens for Property Tax Reform spokesperson Beth Blackmarr said. “We’re being taxed on money that we have not realized. We’re being taxed on windfalls that we haven’t’ seen. I think that’s incredibly unfair.”
Blackmarr has lived in her 1911 Lakewood home for decades, but its value jumped from $188,000 to $295,000 in the last re-assessment.
“This has been, wow,” she said. “We got clobbered.”
That’s why she joined the group and started working to put the issue before voters.
“I totally get the anger,” said Rep. Dave Thomas, an Ashtabula Republican. “I was so fed up I took a very large pay cut and changed my life to run for this position and work on property taxes.”
Read more: Ohio’s property tax crisis: How we got here and how some lawmakers propose to fix it
He thinks this amendment is possible but could come with major trade-offs.
“There would be many winners,” Thomas said. “But a good amount of folks would be paying a significant amount more.”
Property taxes are the main way many local governments– especially schools–fund their operations. And homeowners in areas with large business tax bases would see revenues drop in ways that could prove tricky to replace.
“The first biggest impact of this would be individuals would take on the burden paid for by commercial and utility property owners,” he said.
Thomas estimated local income and sales taxes would triple and then said, “Border counties like Ashtabula, Youngstown or Toledo, if you tripled the sales tax, what would that theoretically do for shopping?”
State Sen. Bill Blessing, a Hamilton County Republican, was more blunt: “What do townships do? They don’t have sales or income taxes. And what does the General Assembly do because the school funding formula is predicated on local property taxes.”
He referenced a line from the Joker in the Batman movies: “This is what happens when an unstoppable force meets an immovable object.”
Blessing also devotes a lot of time to housing issues and said any conversation about taxes must include ideas to lower home prices and encourage new construction.
The 2025 Gap Report, released by the National Low Income Housing Coalition and the Coalition on Homelessness and Housing in Ohio, found a statewide shortage of 267,382 affordable units.
School districts already have the ability to collect income taxes, and Thomas is advising boards to have those conversations now.
He’s also working on legislation that would make it easier to switch.
“I’m trying to make up for five years of not doing things,” he said. “I don’t want people to be patient because they deserve more than that. They deserved a lot more five years ago.”
Read more: Ohio Republicans eye $4.2 billion in school savings for one-time property tax cuts
Attorney General Dave Yost has until May 9 to decide if the petition from Citizens for Property Tax Reform meets the legal requirements.
If approved, the Ohio Ballot Board would then need to sign off before signature gathering could begin.
Anna Staver covers state government and politics for Cleveland.com/The Plain Dealer.
YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio (WKBN) — Part of Glenwood Avenue is closed due to a water main break in Youngstown.
Saturday afternoon, water could be seen flowing down Glenwood Avenue near Ravenwood Avenue.
The road is closed between Ravenwood Avenue and Clearmount Drive while crews repair the break.
Dominic O’Brien contributed to this report.
The U.S. Bicentennial in 1976 was a monumental, year-long celebration marking the 200th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. Coming in the aftermath of the turbulent 1960s, the political disillusionment of the Watergate scandal and President Richard Nixon’s resignation in 1974, and the capture of Saigon by the North Vietnamese and the end of the Vietnam War in 1975, the Bicentennial served as a crucial moment of national healing.
The festivities culminated on the Fourth of July 1976, with spectacular events staged across the country. The most enduring legacy of the celebration in Columbus is Bicentennial Park, located in the Downtown riverfront area along the Scioto River.
Dedicated on July 4, 1976, this 4.7-acre green space was built to permanently commemorate the nation’s 200th birthday. The park’s initial centerpiece was a massive fountain system featuring four circular pools that could shoot water 60 feet into the air.
From May 22 to June 2, 1975, Columbus served as the 11th official stop for the American Freedom Train. This massive, steam-powered rolling museum carried more than 500 priceless historical artifacts – including copies of the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution – across all 48 contiguous states.
The train was displayed at the Defense Construction Supply Center [DCSC] in Whitehall and drew massive crowds of local families. Columbus held a special distinction during the tour: it was one of only three cities nationwide where the “Splendid Spirit” car was included with the train.
Warren Motts, the founding director of Motts Military Museum in Groveport, traveled with the train for its entire 25,000-mile journey, capturing the official photos that documented this historic event.
Beyond these massive metropolitan events, the true spirit of the Bicentennial thrived at the grassroots level. The American Revolution Bicentennial Administration (ARBA) encouraged local communities to form their own committees, leading to thousands of unique municipal projects.
Towns across the nation hosted local parades, commissioned historical murals, dedicated new parks, and sealed time capsules intended for the tricentennial in 2076.
It also triggered a resurgence of interest in local history and genealogy, as everyday citizens sought to trace their own roots back to the nation’s founding eras.
The civic energy and patriotism generated by the 1976 celebrations also helped pave the way for other major local traditions. Just a few years later, in 1981, Columbus launched its annual Red, White & Boom! celebration, which grew into the largest Independence Day fireworks display in the Midwest—a tradition deeply rooted in the community pride revived during the Bicentennial era.
Get involved in America 250 at your library this year! Visit columbulibrary.org for a full list of America 250 events.
Angela O’Neal is Local History & Genealogy Manager with the Columbus Metropolitan Library.
NORTHEAST OHIO (WOIO) – Thousands are without power Friday after severe weather sweeps across Northeast Ohio counties, creating weather-related damage.
FirstEnergy reports more than 71,000 in Northeast Ohio are without power Friday night.
More than 22,000 are without power in Cuyahoga County.
The utility company reports that more than 700 are without power in Erie County.
Lake County reports over 1,000 outages, and Portage has over 4,000 outages.
Trumbull County is experiencing over 1,000, and Ashtabula reports over 3,000.
Lorain County is experiencing more than 3,000 reported outages, and Geauga County has more than 7,000.
Medina County reported more than 1,000.
Chardon fire crews field wave of storm calls
The Chardon Fire Department shared the calls it responded to concerning storm damage Friday evening.
Fire crews said they responded to a tree in a house at 127 Burlington Oval.
The department said a tree fell on a gas line, causing a gas leak at 408 Charleston Avenue.
Wires were reported down on South Claridon Road, closing State Route 44 near South Street.
Wires were reported down on a house near Irma and South Hambden.
Fire crews said a tree was reported down on a home at 306 North Hambden.
The department also said alarms went off at UH Geauga Hospital.
Downed wires also closed Auburn and Twing roads.
The department said power was out on the south side of Chardon City.
Another tree was reported to have fallen into a house at 109 Burlington Oval, but no injuries were reported.
Fire crews said an incident involving a tree in a house and electric lines was reported at 11396 Aquilla Road, but no injuries were reported.
Fallen tree takes out power line in Independence
The city of Independence said a downed tree took out a live power line on lower Stone Road.
The city asked the public to avoid the area because of the danger posed by live wires.
The city said FirstEnergy had been notified and both police and firefighters were on scene.
Downed wires prompt closures across Hambden
The Hambden Fire Department said Friday night it was dealing with multiple storm-related incidents.
Crews said Claridon Troy Road was closed between Route 608 and Chardon Windsor Road because of downed poles and wires.
Kenny Drive was closed south of Leaders Mobile Home Park because of downed wires across the road, according to fire crews.
Multiple wires were reported down on Route 6 near Cutts and Grant Street along the north side of the road.
The department said the public should use caution in areas with downed wires and poles and should not attempt to move any of the wires.
Anyone with an electrical emergency or who encounters downed wires is asked to call 9-1-1.
Hambden Fire said people should not call 9-1-1 to report an outage.
The department said FirstEnergy is aware of these issues and is working to fix them.
Check FirstEnergy’s, AEP’s, and Cleveland Public Power’s websites for the latest outage numbers.
These outages come after severe thunderstorm warnings were issued for multiple Northeast Ohio counties this evening and were extended until 10:45 p.m.
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