Pink Rose Society

Property Taxes in Ohio

A wave of rising home valuations turned property taxes into one of the loudest kitchen-table issues of the 2026 cycle — and into a test of how far Ohio will go to cut a tax that funds its schools and local services.

The valuation surge

County reappraisals in 2023–2024 sent assessed values sharply higher. Cuyahoga County's 2024 reappraisal raised average residential values about 32% countywide — nearly 49% in Cleveland and as much as 67% in East Cleveland. Actual tax bills rose far less than values, because Ohio's millage formula rolls back rates as values climb, but the sticker shock drove a statewide backlash.

The abolition drive — not on the 2026 ballot

A grassroots push to abolish property taxes entirely via constitutional amendment drew wide attention, but it did not qualify for the November 2026 ballot: organizers missed the July 1, 2026 signature deadline (reporting roughly 305,000–320,000 of the ~413,000 valid signatures required) and carried their effort to November 2027. Two separate groups drove it — Citizens for Property Tax Reform (Beth Blackmarr) and the Committee to Abolish Ohio Property Taxes (Brian Massie).

The stakes explain the resistance: Ohio localities collect roughly $24 billion a year in property taxes, with schools the single largest dependent. A 65-plus-organization coalition, Ohioans to Protect Public Services, called abolition "reckless" for eliminating that revenue "with no plan to replace" it.

The Statehouse response

Rather than abolition, the Ohio General Assembly pursued incremental relief:

  • The 2025 budget (HB 96) drew 67 line-item vetoes from Mike DeWine; the legislature then overrode the veto of a levy-restriction provision (Item #66) in fall 2025.
  • DeWine's Property Tax Reform Working Group recommended a statewide "circuit breaker" credit and an expanded homestead exemption (September 2025).
  • Four relief bills (HB 186, HB 335, HB 129, HB 309) were signed in December 2025.

Every one of these caps or trims local levies — which sharpens the unanswered question of how schools and safety forces are funded when the levy base shrinks.

Why it matters in 2026

  • Governor. Vivek Ramaswamy promises "the largest rollback of property taxes in the history of Ohio" alongside phasing out the income tax — a plan critics call light on mechanism. Amy Acton offers incremental relief (homestead, tax-code review) and attacks the rollback as a scheme that would "gut schools, healthcare and public safety" (Ohio 2026 Governor Race).
  • Legislature. With abolition off the ballot, the fight is legislative — the Ohio General Assembly seats on the ballot decide how far relief goes and who absorbs the cost.

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