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Counties back inflation cap on inside millage but oppose last-minute amendment in House Bill 335
Summary
A Logan County commissioner told the Senate Local Government Committee he supports limiting inside millage growth to inflation but warned a late amendment requiring county budget commission approval to restore rolled-back inside mills would discourage voluntary rollbacks and undermine county flexibility.
COLUMBUS — Mike Yoder, a Logan County commissioner and former county auditor, told senators he supports House Bill 335’s core provision to limit growth of inside millage to the rate of inflation, saying it addresses residents’ concerns about rising property taxes. But Yoder said an amendment added to the bill would create a new procedural hurdle by requiring boards of county commissioners to obtain county budget commission approval before restoring any previously rolled-back inside millage, and he urged the committee to remove that amendment.
Why it matters: Yoder said counties have used voluntary rollbacks of inside millage for decades to provide modest property-tax relief. Making restoration contingent on budget commission approval, he said, would discourage counties from using the rollback tool because they might not be able to re-implement the millage later.
“While each rollback may be small, collectively, they demonstrate a county’s commitment to helping taxpayers whenever possible,” Yoder said. He argued the new approval requirement “would likely discourage counties from using inside millage rollbacks altogether.”
Senators asked Yoder why the amendment was inserted and whether bill sponsors support it; Yoder said he did not know the reason and feared counties with less cooperative local politics might be unable to restore rollbacks. He pointed to an example in neighboring Champaign County where officials rescinded a partial rollback amid concerns about the proposed restriction.
Yoder said that if the county-approval requirement were removed, the County Commissioners Association of Ohio (CCAO) would return to a proponent position on the bill. The committee recorded this testimony as the third hearing on Substitute House Bill 335; it did not vote on the measure during the session.
What remains unresolved: Committee members and witnesses discussed possible alternatives including targeted relief for older homeowners and adjustments to the Homestead program; no amendments were adopted in the hearing and the bill remains under committee consideration.
