Residents packed meetings across the county last week to confront officials about rising Cuyahoga County property taxes. It’s been nearly a month since the county started sending letters to property owners with new appraised values. On average, values increased by 32%.
Cuyahoga County has received 4,400 informal complaints from residents about rising property values. The county expects 35,000 residents to contest the appraised values before the end of the summer, according to a county spokesperson. Residents have until Aug. 30 to submit an informal complaint.
Residents have continued to write Signal Cleveland looking for answers. One resident, Diane Medlen, said she couldn’t find contractors willing to offer estimates for work that needs to be done on her home unless they were going to get paid for the work – which she couldn’t afford.
“I could not afford an appraisal. I took many pictures of my house and sent them in with my application.”
“I looked at a variety of items that needed to be repaired that I felt would decrease [the proposed] value. […] I could not afford an appraisal. I took many pictures of my house and sent them in with my application,” said Medlen, who lives in Cleveland.
Officials reminded residents who attended the meetings and in videos online that their taxes won’t increase at the same rate as their property values. They’ve pointed people to the county’s online property tax calculator to check how much their taxes will go up next year.
Residents – especially seniors – say that they can’t afford even a small increase in their property taxes.
“We may need to look at selling,” wrote Gary Houk, who told Signal Cleveland that he is retired and on a fixed income. “If we are increased again, we may not be spending on medical needs or food,” he wrote. Houk is also a Cleveland resident.
At the same time, anxiety for some residents has been compounded by the additional taxes that could be added by levies, including one on the November ballot for Cleveland Metropolitan School District.
State law requires these reappraisals every six years. The county also performs a three-year update of property values in the middle of each six-year period.
Residents still looking for answers about rising property values
At the four information sessions the county hosted last week, officials tried to answer questions from frustrated residents and share resources.
“You’re going to raise my taxes and I’m going to have to figure out how to scrape up the money.”
Cuyahoga County resident during information session
“You’re going to raise my taxes and I’m going to have to figure out how to scrape up the money,” said one resident during the crowded session in Parma on July 31. They talked about the burden on families, particularly single women with children.
County Fiscal Officer Michael Chambers told the audience he agrees that the process is unfair. If property owners want any chance at reducing property values, they have to submit an informal complaint with evidence that the property is worth less than the county estimated.
Chambers and other county officials have continued to signal to unhappy residents that this isn’t a county problem but a state one.
“Who is going to stand up for the people?” asked one resident during the crowded session in Parma on July 31.
Chambers kept his message consistent with that of other county officials by continuing to blame lawmakers in Columbus who have failed to pass legislation that could ease the burden on property owners.
County solutions for a ‘state problem’
The county has said that they don’t have the power to change a state-mandated process, but they have promised that some local help is on the way – at least for seniors who have delinquent taxes.
The county is still developing the program with hopes of launching it in the fall, according to Kelly Woodard, a county spokesperson. The program will include direct assistance for the payment of property taxes and housing counseling services for eligible seniors, she said.
Cuyahoga County Council Member Michael Gallagher said he hadn’t heard about the proposal but that the county needed a standalone funding source to help seniors in need, similar to Franklin County, which has a levy that pays for programs and services for senior residents, he said.
In the meantime, county officials continue to point eligible residents back to existing programs. Examples include tax credits for people who live in the home they own, a program that can defer tax payment for deployed military members, and the homestead exemption for eligible seniors and people with disabilities. The county allows property owners to use an EasyPay system to prepay taxes.
During the county’s final information session on Aug. 1, Chambers once again touted the homestead exemption program. Residents must make less than $38,600 per year to be eligible.
“We all know that’s too low and not keeping up with the times,” Chambers said.
More about Cuyahoga County’s 2024 property assessment process
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Ohio lawmakers eyeing property tax relief in state budget and beyond
‘We’re begging them to do something’: Citizens for Property Tax Reform demands action from Ohio legislators in 2025
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