Montgomery County Auditor Karl Keith said 2023 brought on historic changes to Montgomery County, with record-breaking increases to property values, new construction and more.
This triggered another record in 2024: $1.03 billion in total countywide real estate tax bills. This includes more than 260,000 parcels and is a $56 million increase in the last year.
Tax impact varies by location
Montgomery County saw an average increase of 34% in residential property value countywide as a part of the state-mandated triennial update last year; for Greene County, this average increase was 30% countywide.
In total, Montgomery County gained $8.5 billion in value. The triennial update in value will generate $38.1 million though inside and charter millage for schools, cities, townships and the county’s general fund.
More than 100,000 Montgomery County parcels saw a tax bill increase of 5% or more. For properties in areas that saw 12% increases or more to their tax bills, Keith said this uptick was influenced by state law that sets a floor on how much tax rates can be reduced to compensate for value increases. This impacted three school districts in Montgomery County — Miamisburg, Valley View and New Lebanon.
But property value changes did not result in property tax bill gains across the board, Keith said.
Roughly 40,000 properties saw a decrease in tax bills. Of these parcels, 34,000 saw a decrease in taxes of 5% or more, according to the auditor’s office.
A total of 57% of Montgomery County property tax revenue increase goes to local school districts, while another 16% will go toward cities and villages.
CAUV impact
Montgomery County farmers enrolled in a state tax savings program saw an average 78% property value increase to their farmland.
This resulted in a nearly 43% increase in taxes on average. The auditor’s office estimated this will equal roughly $243 per parcel.
Current Agricultural Use Value (CAUV) is established by a statewide formula, based on agricultural income, that a county auditor cannot change.
Through the program, farmland is taxed at a rate that demonstrates its value for agricultural purposes — not its value as a development property, according to the Ohio Farm Bureau.
Disagree with value? Appeal it
Final property values were sent to households across the county in December.
The final values reflect changes made since the tentative values were released last summer, including new construction and the results of informal appeals held last fall.
Until April 1, property owners can file appeals with the Board of Revision (BOR) if they disagree with their new value.
As of Thursday, the BOR has received more than 1,000 appeals, according to Keith.
The BOR consists of representatives from the county auditor’s office, treasurer’s office and commission. Hearings will occur via Zoom or phone.
To file an appeal, property owners can call the auditor’s office or file paperwork online or by mail. The Montgomery County Auditor’s Office in March will hold workshops at area libraries to assist residents with this process.
The payment due date for the first half of property taxes in Montgomery County is Friday.
A tax — not value — problem
Legislators have proposed multiple bills to provide tax relief to Ohioans, particularly residents who are 65 and older with disabilities.
Those efforts continue and are being monitored by the County Auditor’s Association of Ohio, Keith said.
The calculation of property taxes is a complicated process that is influenced by many factors.
“We don’t have a value problem in Ohio,” Keith said. “We have a tax problem in Ohio.”
Tax impact can roll onto renters
Any change in value can have a reverberating impact on renters, as owners of residential and commercial rental property alike often pass any increase to their tax bills on to their tenants, according to Destiny Brown, the Dayton Tenants Union coordinator and an Advocates for Basic Legal Equality, Inc. (ABLE) community organizer.
The Dayton Tenants Union is a group that advocates for renters’ rights and fairness in housing.
Brown said people living with fixed incomes could be forced to seek housing elsewhere. People impacted by discrimination in housing policy will be impacted disproportionately, Brown said.
“Some people are barely holding onto what they have, as is,” she said.
About the Author
