CINCINNATI — While signing Ohio's state budget into law, Gov. Mike DeWine vetoed several key provisions touted as property tax reforms on Tuesday.
"Property tax increases across Ohio strain many family budgets and endanger the financial security of many on fixed incomes," DeWine said during a news conference. "These ideas were thoughtful, but I was also concerned that imposing them now, all of them at once, on our local schools would create a huge, huge problem."
WATCH: Leaders weigh in on what vetoes mean for Hamilton County
WCPO 9 News identified at least four budget items out of 67 vetoed that dealt with property taxes:
- Property Tax: County Budget Commission Authority & Procedure: This provision would have changed the authority of county budget commissions, allowing them to unilaterally shrink a school district levy passed by voters.
- Cash Balance Carry-Over: The provision would have put a 40% cap on a school district's carryover revenue, or the unspent funds a district has on hand at the end of a fiscal year. Under the measure, those funds would have had to be returned to taxpayers.
- 20-Mill Floor Calculation: It would have required emergency and substitute tax levies, incremental growth levies, conversion levies and the property tax portion of combined income tax and property tax levies to be included in the 20-mill floor calculation for school funding purposes.
- School District Property Tax Levy Restrictions: This measure would have restricted the ability to put emergency levies on the ballot or request an increase to a current levy. In vetoing it, DeWine stated, "These levies serve as important tools for school districts as they seek to maintain their long-term financial stability."
DeWine also announced he will soon convene a working group to make property tax relief recommendations to the state legislature.
"I look forward to working with the leadership and with the members of the general assembly in coming up (with) a long-term solution in this area," DeWine said. "(The) signing of these vetoes does not lessen our obligation, and does not lessen our obligation to deal with this problem. So we must address these legitimate concerns that Ohio voters are talking to us about accordingly."
Ohio lawmakers, who are on summer recess, now have an opportunity to override DeWine's vetoes.
