Olmsted Falls voters will decide in November whether to raise the city’s municipal income-tax rate from 1.5% to 2.0%. If approved, the increase would take effect January 1, 2027, while also changing the city’s property-tax and municipal tax-credit structure.
City Council approved placing the operating-expense tax increase on the ballot after Mayor Chad Gluss requested it, according to Cleveland.com. The city estimates that a resident earning $50,000 annually and owning a $250,000 home would see a $435 yearly increase if voters approve the measure.
One Ballot Measure Would Reshape Several Local Taxes
Olmsted Falls’ current municipal code sets the income-tax rate at 1.5% and applies it to income earned by residents and people working in the city, according to the Olmsted Falls municipal code. The city charter also requires changes to the municipal income-tax rate or credit to be submitted to voters through a general election, rather than being finalized by council alone, as outlined in the city charter.
The proposal would eliminate the city’s current 50% municipal income-tax credit and sunset four property-tax levies if approved, according to Cleveland.com’s report. Those levies include three supporting the fire department and one supporting the police department, meaning the final impact would vary depending on a resident’s income, home value and tax situation.
The city plans to hold open houses at the firehouse and City Hall beginning in early September, and officials expect to release an income-tax calculator for residents. Those tools should give households a clearer look at how the proposed rate, the tax-credit change and the levy sunsets would work together before Election Day.
August Deadline Sets The Ballot Timeline
Olmsted Falls must get the issue certified to the Cuyahoga County Board of Elections by 4 p.m. on August 5, according to the county election calendar. If certified, the question will appear on the November 3, 2026, general-election ballot.
The county’s voter-registration deadline for that election is October 5, with absentee voting scheduled to begin October 6. Until voters weigh in, Olmsted Falls’ existing 1.5% income-tax rate remains in place.
