MANSFIELD — About $1.7 million in property tax relief is on its way to residents in Richland County — at the expense of schools and other local governmental entities.
The Richland County Board of Commissioners on Thursday unanimously approved a motion to double the current state-funded 2.5 percent owner-occupancy credits, effective Jan. 1, 2026.
According to Richland County Auditor Pat Dropsey, 32,158 of the county’s roughly 73,000 parcels — about 44 percent — will be eligible for the credits.
Dropsey’s estimate for the total property tax relief expected after commissioner’s decision on Thursday is $1,733,938.32.
However, this relief involves only local dollars — and comes against the backdrop of a statewide-citizen ballot initiative that could eliminate property taxes all together.
The state legislature — in the two-year budget approved this summer — handed counties a tool that could reduce local property taxes, but without any state assistance in replacing those funds.
Commissioners’ decision needed to be made by the end of October in order for any tax reductions to take effect starting Jan. 1. It will continue to be an annual decision moving forward.
Commissioner Cliff Mears said in his opinion, the board’s decision provides relief to the most citizens in Richland County — compared to the roughly 9,341 parcels which would receive relief if the current state-funded Homestead exemptions were doubled, he said.
“We have to look at the long game here,” Mears said. “We have to provide a disincentive for people to vote yes to eliminate property taxes.
“I have heard the term ‘decimate’ a number of times. You want to decimate? Eliminate property taxes,” Mears said.
Commissioner Tony Vero said the board is trying to “balance the needs of everybody.”
“It’s an opportunity to afford Richland County residents a little bit of relief while the state works on bigger solutions,” he said.
Every entity in the county that receives property tax funds was invited to attend a meeting Oct. 9 to discuss the proposal.
Those entities were welcomed back again Thursday, where roughly 50 to 60 people filled a conference room on the lower level of the County Administration Building.
County school districts bearing the brunt
Opinions aside, Vero said Richland County’s school districts will bear the brunt of the revenue loss due to the exemption approved Thursday.
Local school districts will lose about $1.1 million combined in operating revenue due to the board’s actions.
The owner occupancy credit is a program in the state of Ohio that allows property owners who live in their property to receive a credit on qualified levies and property taxes for their primary residence.
To receive a tax reduction on an owner-occupied home in Ohio, residents must own and occupy that home as their principal place of residence on Jan. 1 of the year they file for the reduction. A homeowner and spouse are entitled to this credit on only one home.
Had commissioners decided to double the Homestead exemptions, that number would have been closer to $2.5 million. The total loss would have exceeded $3.6 million had the board doubled both the Homestead exemptions and 2.5 percent owner-occupancy credits.
After Thursday’s decision, the four Richland County school districts which will lose the most in operating revenue include Lexington ($279,558.09), Mansfield City Schools ($194,032.16), Madison ($168,416.83) and Ontario ($167,750.98).
“We’re just trying to balance the harm it will do, particularly to our local schools, with residents that are absolutely contacting us seeking property (tax) relief,” Vero said earlier in October.
Lexington Supt. Jeremy Secrist said the breakdown of what entities would lose in terms of operating revenue is more than just a group of numbers.
“These aren’t numbers. In public schools, these are people,” Secrist said.
Several other representatives from local school districts have warned commissioners of the impacts this would have on public education around the county.
Ultimately, the property tax relief imposed by the three-member board Thursday will also impact a myriad of local entities: Dayspring, Richland County Mental Health & Recovery Services, Richland Newhope, Richland Public Health, Richland County Children Services, the Richland County Park District and the Mansfield-Richland County Public Library, among others.
Impacts will also be felt by safety services, like police, fire and EMS, in several of the small villages and townships throughout the county.
Below is a recording of Thursday’s meeting of the Richland County Board of Commissioners. The discussion on property taxes begins around the 1:52:00 mark. This story continues below.
State lawmakers trying to create alternatives, says Marilyn John
It’s no secret many Ohio residents are in a foul mood about rising property taxes across the state.
Furthermore, a group called the Committee to Eliminate Property Taxes is gaining momentum in its push for a 2026 ballot initiative that would do just that — eliminate a funding stream that drives much of local government machinery, including public education.
All three commissioners have previously expressed frustration that state lawmakers had basically handed them the current hottest of political potatoes.
State Rep. Marilyn John (R-Shelby), who attended Thursday’s meeting, said she understands the frustration of local entities, particularly school districts.
“On the other side, we get calls and emails from residents (asking) ‘Why are my property taxes going through the roof?'” John said. “We have to respond to that, because they want to know why their property taxes are going up so high.”
Ohio property taxes have surged primarily due to a housing market boom during the last several years, which led to massive increases in assessed property values during the mandatory six-year re-appraisal cycle.
That boom, and the prices home buyers chose to pay as the result of bidding wars, has contributed to the property tax crisis at least in part, according to Dropsey, who also cited changes and evolutions in federal and state rules and laws.
John said the state legislature is currently in the position of trying to keep a “decimation” of property taxes at bay.
Ohio lawmakers voted 72–23 Wednesday to approve a sweeping plan to slow the rise of school property taxes, according to reporting from cleveland.com.
“We are trying to give voters an alternative to voting yes for a ballot initiative because their property taxes have spiked to the level that they have spiked,” John said.
If the ballot initiative to eliminate property taxes were to pass, John said it would be “a hundred times worse” than the four bills passed at the Ohio Statehouse in the past three weeks.
Below is an episode of the News Man Weekly podcast which featured Commissioner Tony Vero discussing the complexity of the property tax relief decision.