State Rep. Jack Daniels urges Lakemore leaders to pursue postal-address change, outlines property-tax reform work

State Representative Jack Daniels addressed the Village of Lakemore council during the meeting, introduced himself and fielded questions about two items residents and officials said are affecting the village: the community—s postal-address identity and state-level property-tax reform.

"My name is Jack Daniels. I do not drink Jack Daniels," Daniels said in opening remarks, identifying himself as the state representative appointed in April 2024. He told the council his legislative district covers portions of southern Summit County and that he is accessible to local officials.

A council member raised the village—s postal-address problem: parts of Lakemore carry an Akron ZIP code (44312), which officials said causes confusion and, they contend, reduces the village—s apparent population and eligibility for some resources. Daniels said the change is handled by the U.S. Postal Service in coordination with address management and provided New Franklin and Green as recent examples of communities that pursued address recognition.

Daniels said his office would reach out to state senators and other contacts to explore the path Lakemore would need to follow. "I'll have my office reach out to, I think the senators... we'll start with their office, bring up to them that, hey. There's a there's an issue," he said, offering to connect the village with the appropriate state and federal contacts.

Daniels also described ongoing state work on property-tax policy, saying the legislature is pursuing measures to moderate spikes in property-tax bills after sudden increases in home valuations. He specifically referenced House Bill 186 as part of the legislative package being considered to cap increases and protect property owners from abrupt, unvoted tax increases.

"The goal is to cap the increases in inflation so that property taxes can rise," Daniels said, adding that several proposals aim to moderate spikes rather than eliminate property tax entirely. He warned that proposals to remove property tax would leave unresolved questions about how to fund services that property tax currently supports.

Daniels encouraged local officials to compile project ideas for the state capital budget; he said that capital funding is more constrained this year than during pandemic-era budgets but that lawmakers still consider local capital projects. He volunteered to work on the ZIP-code/address issue promptly and to connect Lakemore with senator offices to begin the process.

The meeting transcript does not record any formal council action on the postal-address issue; Daniels and council members agreed to continue follow-up outside the meeting.