By Fletcher Word
The Truth Editor
Could Ohio become the first state to eliminate property taxes? It’s a possibility that has a number of people in Lucas County deeply worried.
Lucas County Commissioners and State Senator Paula Hicks-Hudson brought together the leaders of a handful of area agencies on Friday, July 18 to discuss the drive by Republican legislators in Columbus to eliminate property taxes.
This week the Republicans are gathering to override Governor Mike DeWine’s vetoes of several provisions in the latest state budget. His goal is to preserve those property taxes by way of strategically placed vetoes..
Area elected officials and agency leaders would like for the state legislators to consider the harm that such overrides could cause to the general population.
On July 1, 2025, Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine issued 67 line-item vetoes as he signed the state’s $60 billion, two-year operating budget overnight. Among those 67 vetoes are some affecting property taxes, vetoes on line items that would have:
- Allowed counties to reduce property taxes in school districts that carry over more than 40 percent of their budget from the previous year.
- Authorized county budget commissions to reduce millage on levies if they believe tax collections are excessive or unnecessary.
- Changed the calculation for what’s known as the 20-mill floor, which guarantees a certain amount of money for schools.
- Eliminated certain types of tax levies.
Lucas County leaders and elected officials say the override of these vetoes would not provide substantial tax relief and would hurt citizens who depend upon public schools and other services.
At Friday’s press conference, Lucas County Commissioner Lisa Sobecki opened the proceedings and introduced area leaders who were there to represent Toledo Public Schools, Lucas County Children Services, Lucas County Mental Health and Recovery Services Board and the Area Office on Aging of Northwest Ohio.
“These organizations make Lucas County a great place to work, play and retire,” said Sobecki decrying the effort on the part of state legislators to deprive the agencies and the citizens they serve of funding. “This will undermine public confidence in the democratic process.”
Speaking first was Mona Al-Hayani of the Toledo Federation of Teachers. Al-Hayani spoke not only about the potential overrides but also about other challenges facing teachers and public education such as the possible dismantling of the State Teachers Retirement System and teachers’ rights to collectively bargain.
“Public education is the cornerstone of a democratic society, and students, families and teachers are relying on these vetoes to maintain the integrity of learning and teaching,” Al-Hayani said. “If we don’t speak out now, we will never be able to.”
Jason Kucsma, Toledo Lucas County Public Library executive director, spoke of the value that libraries provide and the risks of reducing funding.
“Ohio is the gold standard for public libraries,” said Kucsma as he commended DeWine’s support for libraries. However, the future is uncertain, noted Kucsma, if the legislature decides to override the will of the voters.
“If local taxpayers didn’t want to support the library with their hard-earned dollars, they would vote ‘no’ on our issues,” he said of the potential veto override that “allows the takeaway of funds already passed by the voters.”
And those voters – kids and adults – “will suffer the brunt of such short-sighted actions,” he added.
Scott Sylak, the executive director of the Lucas County Mental Health and Recovery Services Board, also spoke of the need to uphold DeWine’s vetoes of the provisions in the state’s budget that would decrease or eliminate funding to the county’s behavioral health system.
The LCMHRSB funds 23 agencies, 17 residences along with 1,000 employes who provide services to 30,000 residents. The removal of replacement levies and allowing county budget commissions “to override the decisions by the voting public” would be dangerous to all involved, said Sylak. “Governor DeWine got this right,” he said of the governor’s vetoes.
“What are you thinking down there?” asked Lucas County Commissioner Pete Gerken. “We have a great community here and we have great resources here. Somebody tell me the wisdom of a political strategy that says, ‘Hey, let’s attack every one of these things in a local community from Columbus. Isn’t that the way to be popular and win votes?'”
“It amazes me that a party that for years stood on the sense: ‘We need local control … big government bad.’ [This] has turned into the biggest and baddest government that we’ve seen in my lifetime,” Gerken added.
State Senator Paula Hicks-Hudson wrapped up the press conference by explaining the thinking of Republican in Columbus – their desire to cut taxes – and explaining why the knee jerk reaction to DeWine’s vetoes could be so disadvantageous to Ohioans.
“There’s a lot of policy in that budget but not a lot of humanity and compassion,” she said.
Hicks-Hudson said there “should be smart, common sense property tax relief,” that could be achieved by better communication, cleaning up the language of such policies and working to make valuation practices more consistent.