AROUND LAKE COUNTY
Property Tax Relief Must Continue
Last year, the Ohio General Assembly passed House Bill 96, giving County Commissioners the authority to expand important property tax relief programs for local residents. In response, the Lake County Commissioners voted to double both the Homestead Exemption for qualifying low-income seniors and the Owner Occupancy Credit for homeowners across the county.
These measures provided meaningful relief to many seniors, veterans, and hardworking homeowners facing rising property taxes and increasing financial pressure.
However, under state law, the Commissioners must vote each year to renew these tax relief measures. This June, they will once again decide whether to continue these important protections for Lake County residents.
If you support continued property tax relief for seniors, veterans, and homeowners, please contact the Lake County Commissioners and respectfully ask them to vote in favor of renewing the expanded Homestead Exemption and Owner Occupancy Credit.
Lake County Board of Commissioners
Commissioner and President Morris W. Beverage III
[email protected]
Commissioner John T. Plecnik
[email protected]
Commissioner Morgan R. McIntosh
[email protected]
It is important that the Commissioners hear from residents who support efforts to provide tax relief and help families remain in their homes.
As former Ohio Governor George Voinovich often said, “Government must learn to do more with less.”
Recently, Willoughby-Eastlake Schools Superintendent Patrick Ward distributed a letter regarding the property tax relief measures that many residents found misleading and lacking important financial context.
Here are the facts:
Due to recent property revaluations, the Willoughby-Eastlake School District was projected to receive approximately $8 million annually in additional property tax revenue.
The temporary tax relief approved by the County Commissioners reduced that increase by approximately $2.3 million — meaning the district would still receive nearly $6 million in additional annual property tax revenue without any additional vote of the people.
The district did not lose existing funding. Instead, the Commissioners acted to provide taxpayers with modest temporary relief from rapidly increasing property tax burdens caused by property revaluations.
Residents deserve full transparency regarding how these financial decisions affect both taxpayers and public institutions.
If you have questions regarding the district’s position on these tax relief measures, you may contact:
Patrick Ward
Superintendent, Willoughby-Eastlake Schools
[email protected]
