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County Auditors Push for Quick Passage of Bill Limiting Automatic Inside-Millage Growth
Summary
Supporters told the Senate Local Government Committee that substitute House Bill 335 would limit automatic increases to inside millage across counties, cities and townships, align with other reform bills, and that an emergency clause would help implement credits before upcoming tax calculations.
Christopher Galloway, Lake County Auditor and second vice president of the County Auditors Association of Ohio, testified in favor of substitute House Bill 335, saying the County Auditors Association now supports the bill after recent amendments and asking the committee to consider an emergency clause to make the changes effective quickly. Galloway argued HB 335 limits growth of inside millage tied to reappraisals or updates across counties, schools, villages, cities and townships, aligns with other property-tax reform measures (including language in House Bill 309), and estimated the bill could produce nearly $700 million in savings over three years.
Galloway and others warned senators that while many county auditors and treasurers would implement changes, smaller counties have different staffing and software capacities. He described administrative trade-offs: acting sooner could prevent a confusing second-half credit cycle that affects mortgage escrow and creates large refund workloads, while delaying an effective date would give smaller counties more time to implement software and process changes.
Committee members asked for clarification about the taxing-authority versus taxing-unit language raised by health districts under HB 309; Galloway said the auditors association would support minor clarifying amendments so budget commissions communicate with finance staff and board members who manage day-to-day operations. No vote was taken on HB 335 during the hearing; the bill stood as a second hearing with written testimony also provided to members.
