'It's not fair.' Hamilton County property tax hikes hit these neighborhoods hardest

Sheryl Pockrose said she's "done absolutely nothing" to her 1,107-square-foot house in Cincinnati's West Price Hill neighborhood since she moved in nearly 30 years ago. But this year she saw her property taxes jump 81%.

The tax hike came on the heels of a state-mandated reappraisal in Hamilton County, which found that the value of her house had more than doubled in the last three years.

Pockrose's annual property tax bill shot up from $1,150.81 due in 2023 to $2,083.25 due this year, according to Hamilton County records.

"I'm not low-income, so it's not as much of a financial burden on me as it is on some of my neighbors," said Pockrose, 65, a semi-retired librarian who lives on a pension, part-time work and investments. "But I look around here, and I see people really hurting financially who can barely afford what they're paying now. It's not fair that there's not a cap on (property taxes) for some people."

Taxes rose far less than home values, but owners still feel sticker shock

Pockrose echoed the concerns of thousands of Hamilton County residents, and those in other counties that have undergone reassessments since housing prices began skyrocketing in recent years. They've vented their frustration at county meetings, on social media, in letters to The Enquirer and in an Enquirer survey.

In Hamilton County, tax bills were mailed in January and were due Feb. 5.

Overall, Hamilton County residents saw a historic 34% increase in residential property values in the county auditor's full reappraisal last year. Residential property taxes rose at less than half the rate of property values, or about 15%, according to Hamilton County records.

But in some neighborhoods ‒ especially in some poor and working-class neighborhoods in the city of Cincinnati ‒ the tax increase nearly matched the hike in values, making those some of the unluckiest homeowners in Hamilton County.

By contrast, some suburban neighborhoods, both rich and poor, saw their taxes go up far less than the increase in home values. Some even saw their tax bills fall.

The Enquirer examined the most recent property value and tax assessments posted on the Hamilton County auditor's website, and this is what we found.

Five neighborhoods with narrowest gap in taxes and values

Five Cincinnati neighborhoods with the biggest tax increases

Five Cincinnati neighborhoods with smallest tax increases

Five Cincinnati neighborhoods with biggest tax cuts

What's driving value and tax increases?

Experts blame a red-hot housing market for the surge in property values and taxes in Hamilton County, where the typical price of a single-family home reached a high of $288,000 in June last year, according to figures from Redfin, a national real estate brokerage.

In addition, many low-income neighborhoods have seen a steady influx of local speculators and out-of-state real estate investors buying up large swaths of houses and turning them into rentals, driving up prices on the remaining for-sale inventory.

Whatever the reason for the disparity in valuations, the result is moderate- and low-income homeowners paying a larger share of their income in taxes.

Statewide, the poorest fifth of Ohio homeowners pay more than triple their share of income in property taxes compared to the richest 1% of homeowners, according to the Institute on Taxation & Economic Policy, a Washington D.C.-based think-tank.

State of Ohio offers property tax relief for homeowners

The state of Ohio offers relief for homeowners who owe significant property taxes relative to their incomes, including homestead exemptions for veterans, disabled property owners, and residents age 65 and older who had total household incomes less than $38,600 last year.

There are three types of homestead exemptions in Ohio: The senior and disabled persons homestead exemption; the disabled veterans enhanced homestead exemption; and the enhanced homestead exemption for the surviving spouse of a public service officer killed in the line of duty.

The senior and disabled persons homestead exemption protects the first $25,000 in home value from taxation. The enhanced exemptions protect the first $50,000.

Hamilton County auditor's office flooded with complaints

Hamilton County Auditor Brigid Kelly said her office has been flooded with concerns and complaints since the initial valuation estimates were released in October before final valuations were approved by the Ohio Department of Taxation at the end of last year.

"People want an easy answer to very complex questions," Kelly said.

Kelly noted property taxes are not based on property valuations alone and can vary widely based on tax levies approved by voters in local taxing jurisdictions, such as school districts, townships, and municipalities.

"Our job is to calculate the taxes not to establish them,'' she said.

Still, property valuations carry a ton of weight in determining tax bills, and Kelly readily acknowledged the mass appraisal system Hamilton County uses to assess home values every six years is an "imperfect system.''

The mass appraisal involves a visual appraisal of more than 350,000 parcels in Hamilton County, but it doesn't require a walk-through or detailed inspection of every property like an appraisal from an independent real estate appraiser.

Too few resources to physically inspect every house in Hamilton County

"We don't have the people power or money to do independent appraisals. It's not a problem that's unique to us,'' Kelly said, noting most counties use a mass appraisal system. "If we do have a value wrong, we'll fix it. That's what the board of revision is for."

Kelly was referring to the Hamilton County Board of Revision set up by state law to hear complaints on property values and review evidence supporting homeowners' claims of inaccurate valuations.

The board of revision website includes detailed instructions on how to contest property values.

It's not enough to simply file a complaint.

Homeowners must provide evidence to back up their value claims such as closing statements, purchase contracts and independent appraisals.

What Hamilton County residents are saying about their property taxes

How you can apply for a property tax exemption

• Fill out application form DTE105A. You can get the form at the Hamilton County Auditor's office at 138 E. Court St., Room 304, or download from the auditor’s website or at the Ohio Department of Taxation’s website.

• File form DTE105A with the county auditor before Dec. 31. The form must carry your signature in ink and cannot be filed electronically.

• If you're applying for an exemption based on age, you must submit proof of age with your application, such as a copy of your driver's license, state ID, birth certificate or passport.

• If your eligibility is based on disability, you must submit proof of disability, such as a statement from the U.S. Social Security Administration showing your disability benefit, or a statement from the Ohio Bureau of Workers Compensation that says you are disabled.

• If you're a disabled veteran, you must submit a letter from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs with your application showing your disabled status along with a copy of your DD214 showing your military separation status.

If you have questions, you can call the auditor's homestead unit at (513) 946-4099.

This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Ohio homeowners reeling from Hamilton County's new property values