Lake County leaders say a fast-growing push to wipe out property taxes in Ohio might sound great on paper, but it could gut the very services that keep communities running. On Wednesday, County Treasurer Mike Zuren hosted an evening info session at Riverside High School in Painesville, where school officials, taxpayers and county staff walked through what losing that revenue would really look like for classrooms, streets and safety forces.
Local leaders lay out the price tag
Riverside Local Schools Superintendent Chris Rateno told the crowd that roughly 80% of the district’s budget comes from local property taxes, and that educating a single student runs about $83 per day. That dependence, he said, leaves the district exposed if property tax revenue disappears.
Zuren said the meeting was designed to show “the whole picture” of what those taxes pay for, so residents can judge the trade-offs for themselves. Along with schools, he pointed to line items like roads, parks, Meals on Wheels, in-home health care and the county ADAMHS Board as examples of services financed by property tax dollars, according to News 5 Cleveland.
State budget office: Replacing $24 billion would be no simple switch
At the state level, the Ohio Office of Budget and Management warned Gov. Mike DeWine in a February memo that local property taxes generate about $24 billion a year. Eliminating that income, the memo said, would "immediately destabilize local budgets" for counties, cities, townships and schools.
To plug that hole, OBM analysts outlined scenarios that would send sales taxes into the mid-teens or push income tax rates into the low double digits. State and local officials have labeled those possibilities fiscally unrealistic, according to The Journal-News.
How the amendment push works
The proposal to abolish property taxes is being pursued as a constitutional amendment. Backers must collect 442,958 valid signatures from voters spread across at least 44 of Ohio’s counties for the measure to qualify for a statewide ballot. Organizers have been circulating petitions this year as they try to hit that number.
The signature requirement comes from Ohio’s petition rules, which tie the threshold to voter turnout in the most recent governor’s race, according to the Statehouse News Bureau.
Schools, seniors and first responders on the bubble
Throughout the Riverside meeting, county officials and school leaders drilled into specific programs that hang on property tax revenue. On the education side, they cited classroom teachers, building maintenance and basic operating costs. Beyond the schools, they pointed to police and fire staffing, road repairs and services for seniors and residents in recovery.
Zuren warned that some of the most vulnerable programs could be pared back or disappear without a solid replacement for property taxes. Meals on Wheels, in-home care for older residents and behavioral health services tied to the ADAMHS Board all landed on his at-risk list, as outlined at the meeting and reported by News 5 Cleveland.
Where confused taxpayers can turn
While the statewide debate plays out, the Lake County Treasurer’s Office is trying to make it a little easier for homeowners to keep up with what they owe now. The office offers an online payment portal, a drive-thru window and prepayment plans aimed at helping residents manage large tax bills over time. The official website also posts notices, deadlines and instructions tied to this year’s property tax statements.
Residents who are not sure about their bill amounts, available credits or how to set up a payment plan can find phone numbers, office hours and other contact information on the Lake County Treasurer’s site.
For local officials, the outreach campaign is about spelling out the stakes before voters are faced with a sweeping change to Ohio’s tax code. The decision for residents, they say, will ultimately be about trade-offs: lower property tax bills on one side, and a fundamental reshaping of how communities pay for schools, public safety and care for older adults on the other.
