'It's just terrifying.' Homeowners ask Hamilton County commissioners for tax relief

More than a dozen residents irate at the increase in their property tax bills filled the Hamilton County Board of Commissioners chambers Thursday demanding the government give relief to taxpayers.

Commissioners responded with some proposals but said the responsibility resides largely with the Ohio General Assembly.

It's not just Hamilton County. Property values and taxes are up in Butler and Clermont counties and other counties in Ohio where properties were due for reappraisals. On average, property values in Hamilton County went up 28% and taxes went up about 12%.

Each property is different. Some who showed up to the county commissioners meeting on Thursday said their tax bills went up 60% or more. A few said their tax bills doubled.

Tax bills were sent out in mid-January and are due on Feb. 5, causing consternation among some homeowners who say they're struggling to afford the higher tax bill.

Jeneene Brengelman, 78, said she has lived in her Westwood home for 48 years. While she didn’t say how much her appraisal went up, she said many in her neighborhood are afraid of losing their homes. She said her home hasn’t been improved and still has laminate countertops and a 47-year-old stove.

She asked commissioners to do what they can to help people, especially seniors.

“Most of my neighborhood lives paycheck to paycheck and now they all have to get another $500 together in two weeks,” Brengalman said. “It’s just terrifying.”

'Reverse this terrible injustice'

Casandre Walsh told the commissioners she’s afraid she’s going to have to work more hours in her customer service job to afford the taxes on her Mount Airy home. She said she’s paying more in taxes than larger units in her development.

“The inequity is so disturbing to me,” Walsh said. “It doesn’t seem right.”

Latasha Shields, 35, of Walnut Hills, said she was excited to buy her first home. She said as a young homeowner, she is disheartened by the rise in taxes and the stories she heard on Thursday at the commissioners' meeting.

“We’re trying to be better,” Shields said. “I’m college-educated. I’m trying to be a rightful citizen, pay property taxes…It doesn’t seem fair all around.”

Julie Murray, 79, said the taxes on her Clifton Heights home increased 33%.

“I beg you to look at all the facts that others have taken time to research and reverse this terrible injustice which will change our city completely if those of us have to move out,” Murray said.

Commissioners look for relief but place burden on the state

The three county commissioners tried to allay fears and said they will look at ways to alleviate the burden. Hamilton County Board of Commissioners President Alicia Reece said there's $100 million in unused money in the children’s services levy and wants to see if that could be used to provide relief.

She also continued to advocate for giving back the full 30% of revenue brought in by the half-cent sales tax that pays for the riverfront stadiums. That is what was promised in 1996 when the sales tax was passed. But commissioners in the past decade have rarely given the full rebate back.

“I knew this day was coming,” Reece said. “We all knew it, kept saying it would be one of the highest revaluations in history.”

Commissioners, however, said the power to make changes to people’s tax bill largely rests with the state legislature. The largest piece of people’s property tax bill, often more than half, goes toward the local school systems. While the Ohio Supreme Court in 1997 declared schools' reliance on property tax unconstitutional, the legislature has yet to make any changes to school funding.

“It’s at the state level, the policies are set there,” Commissioner Denise Driehaus said.  “We’re automatically at a disadvantage. We don’t have any authority to change it, but the legislature does.”

This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Why these Hamilton County property owners demanded tax relief.