Rising Property Taxes and the People We Must Protect

By Roger Ingles

For many Ohio families, especially our elderly neighbors, opening a property tax bill has become more than a routine moment — it’s a source of real anxiety. These are men and women who worked for decades, paid off their homes, raised children, supported their communities, and planned carefully for retirement. Yet today, many of them fear they may not be able to afford to stay in the very homes where their memories were made.

Over the past twenty years, property values across Ohio have steadily risen, with dramatic spikes during the recent housing boom. In many communities, homes appreciated 20, 30, even 40 percent in just a few years. Because property taxes are based on assessed value, tax bills climbed right along with those numbers. The home may look the same. The income of the retiree living inside may not have changed. But the tax bill certainly has.

For someone on a fixed income — a pension, Social Security, modest savings — those increases can be overwhelming. It feels especially unfair when the increase is driven not by improvements to the property, but by market forces beyond the homeowner’s control. I have long believed we should explore ways to reduce pressure on retirees, including serious discussion about assessing taxes for seniors based on the value of their home at the time of purchase or implementing stronger protections tied to income.

Yet we must also be honest about another truth: property taxes fund the backbone of our communities. In Ohio, local schools, police and fire departments, libraries, and essential services rely heavily on property tax revenue. When state leaders reduce taxes in one area without fully replacing that revenue, the responsibility often shifts to local governments. Many of these local governments are facing serious financial issues. Communities then turn to levies simply to maintain the basic services residents depend on.

Public education sits at the center of this conversation. Strong public schools are not optional — they are foundational to our communities and our economy. At the same time, Ohio has debated expanding voucher programs that divert public dollars to private education. If we are serious about easing the burden on homeowners, we must also be serious about protecting and properly funding our public schools so that local districts are not forced to rely so heavily on property taxes. Accountability and oversight of public and private schools must be the same.

This is not a simple issue with a simple villain. It is structural. Over time, residential homeowners have carried a growing share of the tax burden. Commercial abatements and development incentives — while often well-intended — can shift costs onto existing homeowners. When a new development receives a tax break, someone else makes up the difference. Too often, that someone is a retiree on a fixed income.

The challenge before us is balancing compassion with responsibility. We must protect seniors from being taxed out of their homes while ensuring that schools and essential services remain strong.

We must also recognize that homeowners are not alone in feeling this pressure. Ohio’s farmers and small business owners are facing similar strains. Family farms, often land-rich but cash-poor, have seen property valuations climb sharply, increasing tax burdens even when commodity prices fluctuate or margins remain thin. For multigenerational farms, rising land assessments can threaten long-term sustainability and succession planning.

Small businesses operating out of owned storefronts or workshops feel the same squeeze, as higher property taxes cut into already narrow profits and limit their ability to reinvest, hire, or expand. These are not large corporations with deep reserves — they are local employers and community anchors. When property tax policy becomes unbalanced, it doesn’t just strain households; it ripples through the rural economy, Main Street businesses, and the very fabric of Ohio’s local communities.

Here are three practical steps Ohio could take:

1. Expand income-based property tax relief for seniors.Strengthen and broaden homestead exemptions or create a “circuit breaker” program that caps property taxes as a percentage of household income for retirees and low-income homeowners.

2. Increase the state’s share of public school funding.When the state fulfills its constitutional responsibility to fund education more robustly, local districts can rely less on property tax levies.

3. Reform and review tax abatements.Ensure that economic development incentives are transparent, limited, and structured so they do not unfairly shift long-term burdens onto residential homeowners.

Ohioans deserve stability in their retirement years. They also deserve strong public schools and safe communities. These goals are not mutually exclusive — but achieving both requires thoughtful reform, shared responsibility, and a renewed commitment to fairness.

Rising property taxes are not just about numbers on a bill. They are about whether a widow can remain in her home, whether a retired teacher can afford to stay in the neighborhood she once served, a family farm can continue operation, and whether our communities reflect both fiscal responsibility and human compassion.

That is the balance we must strive to achieve.