Trumbull County commissioners vote to send letter asking state to slow property reappraisal; debate centers on relief for seniors, schools and service providers

The Board of Trumbull County Commissioners voted to send a letter to state representatives asking them to slow or pause the upcoming county property reappraisal scheduled to begin in August, citing recent steep increases in property valuations and hardship for seniors, veterans and those on fixed incomes.

The motion to send a letter was made and seconded during public comment and approved by the commissioners present. Prosecutor Bill Danzo told the board he could assist with drafting the resolution and letter as long as the clerk supplied sufficient basic information: "I think as long as you give the clerk enough, you know, basic information to be able to create the resolution and then to write the letter... be glad to help," Danzo said.

Commissioners described sharp valuation increases they said had reached "at least a 40, maybe a 50% increase" in recent years and urged state action. One commissioner suggested the state’s rainy day fund and higher-than-expected sales tax receipts could be sources for relief and raised the possibility of restoring additional local sales tax share to counties. Another commissioner proposed adding an additional 2.5 percentage points of owner-occupancy rollback to give residents targeted relief, and commissioners agreed to pursue stakeholder input before any formal local tax change.

Education and service-sector leaders at the meeting urged caution and asked the board to craft specific proposals. AJ Calderon, superintendent at La Brae, said commissioners should provide detailed guidance and warned a blanket freeze could conflict with existing statutes or pending bills. "If we're asking them to freeze the valuations, it sounds like the commissioners might proffer an idea that this could be indefinite," Calderon said, and he referenced existing growth-cap legislation and pending state proposals that could affect local authority.

Ashley Henritz, superintendent of Lake View Local Schools, asked the board to consider recent state legislation signed in December that will cap growth for some taxpayers and urged the county to request that the state backfill any local reductions if the board adopts a 2.5% owner-occupancy rollback. "I would ask that in that letter we request that they backfill that 2 and 1/2% if that's what you decide to do," Henritz said.

Ed Stark, superintendent of the Trumbull County Board of Developmental Disabilities, cautioned that fixed-sum levies used by some local agencies do not automatically increase with property values and that a rollback would reduce revenue for service providers. "We are already deficit spending. We are deficit spent last year about a million dollars," Stark said, urging commissioners to consider direct impacts on agencies that rely on fixed-sum levies.

Board members said they intended to work with school superintendents, the Township Trustees Association and other local stakeholders to draft a measured letter and possible recommendations; they did not adopt a local tax change at the meeting. The board noted no immediate suspension of reappraisal had been enacted—rather, the county will ask state lawmakers to consider slowing or placing a temporary moratorium on the reappraisal process while options for targeted relief are developed.

Next steps: commissioners directed the clerk and county counsel to assist in drafting the resolution and letter; they also said they would consult with school and township leadership and consider whether to seek state backfill for any local reductions. The board scheduled follow-up and outreach prior to any formal local policy action.