North Columbus News

The Ohio Senate has voted to override the Governor’s veto of a significant provision in House Bill 96, moving forward with changes intended to bring more transparency to property tax levies and limit the growth of property taxes in the state. The Ohio House previously voted for the override in July, which was necessary for the reform to proceed.

Under the new law, local governments will no longer be allowed to propose replacement property tax levies. Additionally, school districts are now barred from proposing fixed-sum emergency levies, substitute emergency levies, and combined school district income tax and fixed-sum property tax levies. These restrictions apply only to future proposals; any levy already enacted or scheduled for a vote in November 2025 will remain unaffected.

According to Ohio REALTORS, this legislative change marks an important achievement for their advocacy efforts. The organization stated: "This is a major advocacy win for Ohio REALTORS, and it wouldn’t have happened without our members stepping up!"

Ohio REALTORS further explained their longstanding position on the issue: "We’ve long championed the need for a more transparent and voter-friendly property tax system. Replacement and emergency levies have been a key concern because they often lead to unvoted tax spikes after property reappraisals, and are not counted toward the 20-mill floor."

They also credited their members’ engagement as instrumental in reaching this outcome: "Thanks tothe strong response from members who answered our Call for Action, these problematic levy mechanisms are officially off the table moving forward. This is a huge step toward a fairer and more accountable property tax structure for homeowners across the state."