Northeast Ohio politicians took aim at the General Assembly on Tuesday, saying the legislature’s failure to move on property tax relief could leave homeowners out in the cold.
House Democrats blasted Republican leadership during a news conference at the Cuyahoga County administration building. They urged taxpayers to raise a ruckus in hopes of getting state laws changed now, before new tax bills hit people’s mailboxes in January.
“If any lawmaker is telling you we just can’t get it done and we don’t have the money, they’re lying to you,” said State Rep. Bride Rose Sweeney (D-Westlake). “They’re not being truthful. It is a choice to fail to act.”
Across the state, homeowners are grappling with higher valuations and property tax hikes.
In Cuyahoga County, home values jumped by 32%, on average, in a recent reappraisal required by the state.
Cuyahoga County home values soar in first sweeping reappraisal since the pandemic
Other counties are seeing similar trends, spurred by soaring prices, a severe shortage of properties for sale and more than a decade of anemic home-building.