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Residents and officials warn property-tax repeal would jeopardize local services
Summary
Several residents and council members warned that a proposed Ohio constitutional amendment to abolish property taxes would create major funding shortfalls for schools, public safety and local services if passed; council discussed possible local advocacy.
Multiple residents and city officials raised alarm about a statewide initiative to eliminate property taxes during public comment at the Martins Ferry City Council meeting.
Phil Wallace, a local resident, distributed a copy of the proposed constitutional amendment and urged residents to oppose it. Wallace said removal of property taxes would cause “a catastrophic financial impact on local services including public schools, emergency services, and libraries” and that the initiative “does not specify how the revenue would be replaced.” He urged the community to vote against the measure if it reaches the ballot.
Fire Chief Smith told council he was “deeply concerned” about the initiative’s effect on city safety services, saying that if the change were enacted with an effective date of January 2027 the city “will receive our last tax payment to fund the fire department, police, EMS … August ’27.” Council members and staff discussed that replacement revenue sources (higher sales tax, increases to income tax, or other state mechanisms) are uncertain and might not fully replace lost property-tax revenue.
Council members said the city should consider taking a formal position and coordinating outreach if the measure advances. Several councilors described the levy system as a locally voted mechanism designed to keep revenues for local services in the community, and they warned that eliminating property tax without a clear replacement would likely reduce funding for police, fire, EMS, schools and other local programs.
No formal city resolution on the amendment was adopted at the meeting, but members asked staff and councilors to track developments and consider future outreach.
