New bipartisan bill would offer Ohioans property tax relief

COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) -- A new bipartisan bill aims to bring Ohioans some property tax relief.

House Bill 645, sponsored by Representatives Dani Isaacsohn (D-Cincinnati) and Thomas Hall (R-Madison Twp.) creates a credit or rebate program for some renters and homeowners.

“The big idea here is that property taxes are way too high for way too many people,” Isaacsohn said.

The rebate would be for renters or homeowners who are paying more than 5% of their income on property taxes.

“We are in a situation where actually, for a lot of people, we are taxing them out of their homes, particularly seniors,” Isaacsohn said. “So, this is a bill that would provide desperately needed relief to those homeowners and to renters who are paying too much of their income on property taxes.”

Households making up to $100,000 total are eligible to the rebate, here is the breakdown in the legislation:

• $60,000 or less is eligible for a $1,000 credit or rebate.
• More than $60,000 but not more than $70,000 is eligible for an $800 credit or rebate.
• More than $70,000 but not more than $80,000 is eligible for a $600 credit or rebate.
• More than $80,000 but not more than $90,000 is eligible for a $400 credit or rebate.
• More than $90,000 but not more than $100,000 is eligible for a $200 credit or rebate.

“That way you can at least have some relief for these huge increases,” Isaacsohn said. “The vast majority of homeowners in Ohio do qualify in the most counties. The median income is around 60 and $65,000 in Ohio. So going all the way up to $100k certainly includes most people.”

Isaacsohn said there has been a strong call to action for relief for the past year and a half.

“I had a couple reach out to me, they had spent all of their savings, they were senior citizens, on paying for cancer treatments for both of them,” he said. “And they were worried they were going to they're going to lose their home because they couldn't pay the increase in taxes. If that doesn't make you want to act urgently, I don't know what would.”

There is a similar bill in the Senate called Senate Bill 271. That bill is also bipartisan and has had two hearings so far.

This is the latest effort in more than a dozen that have been introduced at the Ohio Statehouse, many of them garnering both bipartisan support and support from leadership. But, aside from House Bill 57, which ended up in the budget to address the homestead exemption, no property tax legislation has made it across the finish line.

“Yes, people should be frustrated,” Isaacsohn said. “Yes, there is urgency, and we should have acted yesterday. But the best time to act right now is today.”

Lawmakers are not scheduled to be back to session to move more legislation forward until later this year.