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City manager says possible statewide property-tax repeal could cost Chardon about $3 million
Summary
City Manager Ben told council a county task force is preparing for a possible November 2026 ballot measure that would repeal property taxes statewide; he estimated Chardon could lose roughly $3 million in revenue, with about $1.5 million tied to fire services, and asked council to inventory services reliant on property tax.
City Manager Ben told the Chardon City Council on Dec. 9 that a county task force is assembling data and preparing an "emergency response plan" in case a proposed constitutional amendment to repeal property taxes is approved by voters next year. "Our best guess at the moment is right around $3 million," Ben said, adding that roughly $1.5 million of that total would affect the fire department.
The manager said the county task force asked municipalities to submit descriptions of services that rely on property-tax revenue so it can plan contingencies. He told council the ballot measure under discussion would not itself provide alternative funding, and that cities would need to consider options such as raising an income tax or cutting services to cover lost revenue.
Why it matters: Ben said that, for Chardon, losing that revenue would force shifting some services back onto the general fund. He said about $340,000 currently comes from RIDs and TIFs for capital projects and that an estimated $200,000 of potential income-tax loss was modeled under a hypothetical 25% employment reduction among public employers. "Of that $3 million, about $900,000 — just under a million — is things that would directly hit the general fund," Ben said.
Council members asked how the county effort would reach residents and whether the task force would forward findings to state lawmakers. Ben said the task force is focused on local emergency planning and compiling public information for voters; any state-level fixes would be a separate process. He and other councilors urged public outreach so voters understand the trade-offs between repealing property taxes and the services those taxes fund.
Next steps: Ben said he will work with staff (including Mark) to assemble the requested list of city services that depend on property taxes. The county task force will continue meetings; Ben said he will return updates to council as the task force's work progresses.
