MONTGOMERY COUNTY — Montgomery County Auditor Karl Keith laid out his annual update for local leaders on Thursday. A major focus was on property taxes and recent changes passed by state lawmakers.
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“It impacts some communities more than others, and so trying to communicate that with the public and understand all that, that’s a challenge,” Keith said.
In December, Ohio Governor Mike DeWine signed bills into law to bring property tax relief to property owners.
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“What I’m afraid of is that people are going to have unrealistic expectations, that they’re going to get their tax bill thinking that there’s been a big change and a reduction in that bill, and they’re really not going to see that,” he added.
Keith said the changes will impact some communities more than others, but the majority of Montgomery County property owners won’t see a big change.
“You’re talking $10, $11, $80 or something, in some cases,” he said.
While he understands the frustrations of many, Keith also wants people to know what property taxes are used for.
“None of the property tax money goes to Columbus. None of it goes to Washington,” he said. “It all stays here locally, in our schools, in our libraries, our police and fire, and human services, all stays here.”
This is also a reappraisal year, and the auditor’s office is already working on getting updated property values. While official numbers aren’t in yet, nearby counties that reappraised last year saw double-digit increases.
“I don’t make these numbers up. I don’t pull them out of the air,” he said. “It is market-driven, and the real estate market in Montgomery County has just been off the charts here for a number of years.”
Tentative property values as part of the appraisal process should be out this summer.
Keith said he’ll have several meetings to help educate people on how the process works.
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