In Columbus, Ohio, a new push to cut property taxes is zeroing in on the local levies that appear on almost every homeowner’s bill. A fresh proposal in the Ohio House would stack new state-funded discounts on top of what voters already approved, offering relief without dismantling the property tax system. Layered onto several recent reforms, the idea sharpens a broader question: is Ohio easing pressure on taxpayers, or quietly reshaping how schools and local services are funded?
House Bill 28, part of the 136th General Assembly, sits at the center of this shift. It targets “replacement” property tax levies that have long been a staple of local finance. A second bill would give an extra 2.5% discount on local levies and gradually raise that break to 15.38%. Supporters describe the two bills together as broad help for homeowners. Yet the tradeoffs for city halls, school boards and taxpayers who rely on other state services are only starting to come into focus.
HB 28’s core promise on levies
House Bill 28 is listed in the 136th General Assembly as a property tax measure, with its subject and current text posted on the official House docket. Backers describe the bill as a direct strike at replacement property tax levies. These levies allow local governments to reset the effective tax rate on existing millage when property values rise. In plain terms, replacement levies help local officials collect more money from the same voter-approved rate as home values go up, without asking voters for a brand-new levy.
Supporters say HB 28 would stop local authorities from using that tool to capture extra revenue from rising values unless they return to the ballot. When the Ohio House approved the bill, supporters framed the move as a structural fix. In a public statement, Rep. David Thomas said he voted to eliminate replacement property tax levies through HB 28, calling it a way to protect taxpayers who feel blindsided by higher bills. The measure is now listed on the Senate calendar, which tracks its current status. Taken together, House passage and Senate review show that lawmakers are not just trimming rates at the edges. They are trying to close off a tool local governments have relied on for decades to keep up with inflation and growth.
New bill extends relief to all local levies
While HB 28 focuses on how levies are structured, a separate proposal would change how much homeowners actually pay on those local lines. Reporting from Columbus describes a new Ohio bill that targets property tax relief “for all local levies,” extending state-backed discounts to voters who supported levies over roughly the last ten years. The measure is framed as a way to reward residents who have repeatedly agreed to tax themselves for schools, safety forces and other services by having the state pay a larger share of those costs…