Hamilton County auditor outlines services, new website and property‑tax tools during St. Bernard visit

Hamilton County Auditor Jessica Miranda told the Village of St. Bernard council that the auditor’s office functions as the county’s chief financial officer and described a series of services meant to help residents understand property taxes and consumer protections.

“I think of us, think of me as your county’s CFO,” Miranda said during a presentation the council hosted as part of the auditor’s tour. She listed the office’s responsibilities as paying county bills, acting as payroll agent for the county’s employees, and serving as the real property assessor for roughly 350,000 parcels in Hamilton County.

Miranda walked the council through programs administered by the auditor’s office, including the county’s rental registration system, two property‑tax relief programs required by state law — the homestead exemption for residents 65 and older who meet income limits and the owner‑occupancy credit (a 2.5% credit to qualifying homeowners) — and a consumer protection unit that inspects scales and fuel dispensers.

She emphasized outreach: the auditor’s office has added a public‑affairs team and is touring municipalities to connect with local officials. Miranda highlighted a redesigned auditor website with a new search bar and a translation tool that can render the site in more than 100 languages and an accessibility tool that supports dyslexia fonts and color adjustments. “We now have a translation tool that can translate our website into over 100 languages,” Miranda said, adding the office averages about 120,000 unique monthly users.

On tax relief, Miranda urged local officials to help eligible residents access credits and noted one practical clarification: social security is not counted as gross income for the homestead exemption. “Social security is not included in that,” she said in response to a council question about eligibility.

She also described the county’s forfeited land sale process and said the office completed a recent sale in which 98 of about 125 parcels sold, a higher participation rate than in previous years. Miranda encouraged officials to share local landlord information with the county so rental registration records stay accurate and to contact her office if residents find discrepancies on property pages.

Council members asked several clarifying questions about program administration and automatic application of the owner‑occupancy credit at closing; Miranda said the credit is typically checked on closing documents but that errors and inheritance situations sometimes leave qualified homeowners without the credit.

The presentation concluded with an offer to follow up: Miranda left printed material, business cards for her office staff and invited the council to contact the auditor’s office for assistance with county programs and property‑tax queries.