Hocking County commissioners voted Sept. 4 to reduce the county's inside millage from 3.5 mills to 2.8 mills, effective Jan. 1, 2025. The board said the move aims to blunt the impact of a triennial property-valuation update that will increase taxable values across the county.

One commissioner, speaking during the meeting, said the reduction is a "22% reduction" of the inside millage and described the change as "net neutral" for the county general fund because the rollback is an anticipated adjustment tied to the update process. He told the board the change would provide relief to property owners facing higher valuations while requiring continued fiscal restraint countywide.

Commissioners discussed broader state-level property-tax issues and legislative possibilities, including potential state rollbacks to address valuation impacts; the speaker said some recommendations under consideration at the state level could include rolling back "inside millage" or other changes but noted passage would require action by legislators and the governor.

At the meeting's roll call, commissioners voted to approve the resolution; the clerk recorded an affirmative roll call and the board adopted the millage reduction. The commissioners asked the county auditor and treasurer for more precise dollar figures during the meeting; staff later provided an initial estimate cited by the board of roughly "$28 per $100,000" of assessed value (the speaker called it a "rough initial estimate"). The board said the inside millage change affects only the county portion that the commissioners can adjust; other levies remain subject to voter approval or state-driven processes.

The resolution will be reflected in tax rates effective Jan. 1, 2025, and will appear on property tax statements issued in early 2026 for taxes billed on 2025 valuations.