COLUMBUS, Ohio — Ohio House Republican leaders are making a last-ditch effort to convince their GOP colleagues to override several of Gov. Mike DeWine's vetoes.
It's now a numbers game as the majority of legislators try to overturn three school-specific vetoes the governor made in the state operating budget.
"I don't know what the numbers will be," DeWine told me Friday.
And state Rep. David Thomas, who has been leading the property tax relief charge, doesn't know the number of votes he has, either. But he does know what his district wants, he said.
"I hear, literally every day still, from my constituents that their property taxes are spiking, that they're too high, it's just pushing them to the brink," state Rep. David Thomas (R-Jefferson) said.
Both educators and homeowners say the stakes are high.
DeWine vetoed restrictions on the ability to put emergency levies on the ballot or request an increase to a current levy. That provision would have eliminated levy replacements on property taxes for all political subdivisions. For schools, it would have prohibited them from imposing a fixed-sum emergency levy, a substitute emergency levy and a combined school district income tax and fixed-sum property tax levy.
"It would have put school districts around the state in a constant levy cycle," Cleveland Heights School Board Member Dan Heintz said. "Every voter would have had tax fatigue and levy fatigue."
We evaluated the impact the provisions could have on schools:
RELATED: Ohio schools sound alarm with the governor over what they're calling a destructive budget
The governor vetoed another that would have required that emergency and substitute tax levies, incremental growth levies, conversion levies, and the property tax portion of combined income tax and property tax levies be included in the 20-mill floor calculation for school funding purposes.
He also removed a provision that would have allowed county budget commissions to unilaterally take money away from passed school levies if they find it "reasonably necessary."
Lawmakers have admitted that they have struggled to pass any meaningful property tax reform for years, hurting homeowners like Beth Blackmarr. Thomas said this is their attempt.
"You can own your home outright and lose your home, something that you've worked hard and paid all your life for, and lose that because you can't pay the property taxes on it," Blackmarr said.
Overriding the governor takes 60 votes. With only 65 Republicans, Thomas can only afford to lose six people. There are signs that House Leadership is concerned about whether they have the votes.
RELATED: Ohio GOP plans to override Gov. DeWine school vetoes in order to provide property tax relief
Former House Speaker Jason Stephens (R-Kitts Hill) said he has been called and messaged repeatedly by both legislators and organizations as leadership tries to get lawmakers on board. Other lawmakers shared the same story of override supporters trying to whip votes.
"It's going to be hard to convince me," Stephens said, chuckling and acknowledging he can't be convinced. "I'm not canceling my plans."
The overrides will provide little relief to homeowners but more stress on schools, he said.
"It sends the wrong message to the people that there's going to be this great big property tax relief if we override the governor's veto — which is just simply not the case," the former speaker said.
Stephens isn’t coming back for the override session, but if he were, he would be voting no, he said. We've confirmed that at least three other GOP lawmakers aren’t returning or are voting no. Three others told us they were on the fence, but leaning towards no. Several who had previously told News 5 they were no votes could not be reached on Friday.
I asked Thomas if he is confident that it will pass, as he is still trying to coax fellow Republicans at the last minute.
"I imagine I'll still be answering questions even the morning of the override vote, just so that folks are as comfortable as possible," Thomas responded. "I'm pretty confident... that we'll win the day on Monday."
DeWine says that the lawmakers have the right to override him, as he has already made his point.
"What does it say that it would be such a close vote?" I asked DeWine.
"I'm not going to talk about what the numbers are going to be," he said, smiling.
To discourage an override, the governor created a new property tax working group to evaluate the best solutions. It will be run by former Cincinnati Republican lawmaker Bill Seitz and Ohio Business Roundtable CEO Pat Tiberi.
According to Seitz, they are set to meet next week after the vote.
"Do you have a last message to them going into this possible vote on Monday?" I asked.
"No, no, I've made my position clear on it. They're going to do what they think is best, again, as part of our process set in the Constitution of Ohio," he said. "You're seeing that play out, so we'll see what happens on Monday."
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