Ohio Senate overrides DeWine veto, more promised

The Republican-controlled state Senate voted to override one of Gov. Mike DeWine’s budget vetoes, and leaders indicated more are to follow.

In signing an amended version of House Bill 96, the state’s two-year budget, DeWine vetoed 67 provisions. However, over the summer, the state House overrode school district property tax levy restrictions.

With the override, school districts and political subdivisions can no longer ask voters to approve future substitute emergency levies and replacement levies.

“What’s the emergency? ‘Educating our children,’” state Sen. Sandra O’Brien, R-Ashtabula, told Statehouse News Bureau. “I said, that’s not an emergency, that’s your job. An emergency is an immediate danger that you have to take care of right away and it’s short lived. Well, that’s not an emergency levy. Our voters are, they’re confused, they’re terribly confused.”

According to a release from Senate President Rob McColley, R-Napoleon, such levies fall outside of a cap designed to prevent them from raising more than originally intended.

“Today’s veto override is the first step in accomplishing more reforms passed by the General Assembly and it also paves the way for future legislation,” McColley said in a statement. “Ohioans have made it clear property taxes are out of control. They’re right. We heard you. We acted to rein in a system that has been leveraged against taxpayers by allowing runaway increases without a vote of the people.”

WCMH-TV reported that the override applies to emergency and replacement levies introduced after Jan. 1, 2026. Therefore, replacement and emergency levies on November’s ballot will remain.

The Ohio Education Association derided the move, saying schools might need to increase class sizes, eliminate staff, and cut programs.

“While these veto overrides fail to provide any meaningful, long term property tax relief for most Ohioans, the House and Senate majorities continue to successfully pursue their agenda to dismantle Ohio’s public schools by squeezing them from both directions,” the group said in a statement.

The Senate’s action follows the release of 20 recommendations by Ohio’s Property Tax Working Group for confronting the Buckeye State’s ballooning property taxes. DeWine appointed the group after vetoing the budget line items.

Senate Democratic Leader Nickie J. Antonio, D-Lakewood, said the override penalizes local school districts and communities under the premise of property tax relief.

“This move guts the ability of communities to fund critical services like schools, fire departments, and libraries, all while pretending to be about property tax relief,” Antonio said in a statement. “In reality, this shifts responsibility for the legislature to pass meaningful property tax reform onto the backs of local taxpayers.”

All nine Senate Democrats voted against the override, and two Republican senators — state Sens. Bill Blessing, R-Colerain Twp., and Tom Patton, R-Strongsville — joined Democrats.

“As I travel the state, I’ve heard a reoccurring theme: property taxes are too high,” State Senator Kristina Roegner, R-Hudson, said in a statement.

“Ohioans should not have to pay what feels like a second mortgage to the government – it’s simply unamerican,” Roegner added. “This veto override is a solid first step at addressing this issue by reducing the types of property taxes which can be levied.”