DeWine names members to new Property Tax Reform Working Group
It’s getting serious now.
Ohio Republican Gov. Mike DeWine named the cadre of members to the newly-formed Property Tax Reform Working Group.
Earlier this month, DeWine announced that a pair of former state lawmakers — former Republican state Reps. Bill Seitz and Pat Tiberi — will co-chair the working group. The governor informally announced the group as he signed the amended version of House Bill 96, the state’s two-year budget, and issued various line-item vetoes.
The working group is tasked with studying issues related to providing “meaningful property tax relief.” However, the group must ostensibly navigate concerns that some critics have that changing the state’s property tax landscape will cut funding for local schools, government services, and support for people with developmental disabilities.
“The idea behind our task force is, is to try to come up with something,” DeWine said at the time, according to Statehouse News Bureau. “What I’m particularly concerned about is the fact that we do have Ohioans who are hurting, and that’s very, very clear.
“We have Ohioans who, have lived in their home for many years. They paid their mortgage off, but now they’re on fixed income. And now the property tax continues, continues to go up,” the governor added. “Trying to figure out how we deal with that, I think is, is very important. And that’s why I put a working group together.”
According to a release from DeWine’s office, in addition to Tiberi and Seitz, the group includes:
- Allen County Treasurer Krista Bohn
- Pike County Commissioner Jeff Chattin
- Hamilton County Commissioner Denise Driehaus
- Lake County Auditor Chris Galloway
- Dublin City Schools Superintendent John Marschhausen
- Warren County Auditor Matt Nolan
- Athens Mayor Steve Patterson
- Pickaway County Commissioner Gary Scherer
- Fort Frye Local Schools Superintendent Stephanie Starcher
The governor wants the group to file its report with “concrete proposals” by Sept. 30. The first meeting will be held on Thursday, July 24, in Columbus.
“It would just be bringing the treasurer’s perspective to it as the one who doesn’t set the policies and doesn’t set the laws but abides by them and then bills out the taxes as they’re calculated and then collects them,” Bohn told LimaOhio.com.
“We see the people on a daily basis and those hardships that they’re facing,” Bohn added. “So I’m trying to bring that perspective to the group and hopefully provide meaningful recommendations to provide that tax relief to residents of Ohio who definitely need it at this time.”
This week, the Ohio House of Representatives voted to override DeWine’s veto of school district property tax levy restrictions. DeWine vetoed the provision, which was included in the biennial budget.
“You can’t call it a replacement levy if it’s not really, it’s actually lots of new money coming on,” Ohio House Speaker Matt Huffman, R-Ohio, told Spectrum News 1.
The Senate has not yet scheduled a time to consider the House’s veto override. However, lawmakers fell short of the more dramatic action they seemingly promised.
Separately, Attorney General Dave Yost, who previously flirted with a gubernatorial run in 2026, called on county officials to take charge and lead the effort to overhaul the state’s property tax system. Yost wants elected county officials to form a coalition to address property taxes before a citizen-led ballot initiative eliminates them.
Bohn also lauded the group’s geographic and ideological diversity.
“They did a great job with the members who were selected, with the committee ranging from some of the smaller areas to the larger areas throughout Ohio,” Bohn told LimaOhio.com. “I’m hoping that will make a difference with everything that’s discussed and what the recommendations end up being, something that helps all Ohioans, not just those in certain areas.”
