Holmes County approves property tax relief for qualifying seniors

The Holmes County Commissioners convened Monday, Oct. 6 at the Old Jail for the board’s weekly meeting and passed a resolution designed to provide some tax relief for senior citizens.

The resolution permitting the Permissive Homestead Exemption Pursuant to Ohio Revised Code Section 319.304 was passed, the board choosing to adopt the resolution that permits counties to authorize a reduction in real estate property taxes and manufactured home taxes payable against every homestead in the county subject to a homestead exemption for the tax year in the same amount as the homestead’s applicable expansion.

The exemption is for any senior citizen homeowner age 65 or older who is making less than $40,000 annually.

According to Commissioner Joe Miller, the exemption should save qualifying seniors $300-$400 annually in the qualifying tax year of 2025 for real estate property taxes and 2026 for manufactured homes.

Miller said senior resident homeowners applying may have to verify income at the county’s request.

“If you look at this, it is giving relief to seniors,” Commissioner Dave Hall said. “The board has discussed this, and I know it is a challenge in these times for seniors to make it. I’m hoping there is more at the state level to be done.”

Hall said this is a tool the state is allowing the county to use to provide financial relief for qualifying seniors.

While Hall said this document doesn’t necessarily fix everything, it does offer seniors a bit of relief from rising real estate taxes. He said with the state allowing this type of relief, the county wanted to at least offer it as an option for qualifying seniors.

Miller said prior to 2014, any senior was eligible for an exemption, but that year the state added the qualifying $40,000 income stipulation. He said there are approximately 1,000 eligible seniors in Holmes County who currently use this exemption.

“It saves them $300-$400 per year,” Miller said. “One of the biggest complaints I’ve heard from seniors is that owners who have finally paid their property off, and their taxes are getting so high they can’t afford to keep their houses. It isn’t a whole lot of money, but for someone who is on a limited income and can’t pay their taxes, a couple hundred dollars is a lot.”

Representing West Holmes School District, Jamie Mullet, the district treasurer, said she was 100% for property tax relief, noting there are multiple options on the table at the state level.

She asked if this exemption effects the county’s general fund.

Miller said this exemption will not be reimbursed by the state, and it affects every entity receiving tax dollars including school districts, fire and township trustees.

“It is going to be so small on what yours is that you won’t even notice it,” Miller said to Mullet.

Miller said the county can’t be certain how much it will affect each of those entities until they see how many qualifying seniors sign up for the exemption.

Mullet said it would be good to have those numbers because she has to create the current fiscal year budget and forecast it to see how it impacts the school district’s budget.

Miller estimated that if every eligible senior homeowner signed up for it, the amount would be around $300,000.

“That would come off of $62 million of what Holmes County as collected in real estate taxes, and it would be very small for everybody,” Miller said.

Mullet said it would be nice to have all the affected entities sit down and have a conversation because it would provide greater insight into how it affects each budget.

“I want to do this right for Holmes County, and I think if all taxing entities could sit down and come up with solutions, there could be more we could do, and we could really do something great for our county. This could be one piece of it.”

Miller said the commissioners didn’t take this exemption lightly, and they are doing what they believe is best for the seniors.

Hall said the State of Ohio needs to do more to give every homeowner more tax relief, instead of pitting local subdivisions against one another.

This issue carries additional weight with the recent grassroots movement to eliminate property tax in the state altogether.

In a proclamation the commissioners also declared October as Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

Hall said having experienced the dramatic effect of breast cancer on numerous loved ones and knowing how breast cancer affects so many individuals and the people in their lives, this is a meaningful proclamation because it touches the lives of so many people.

“There’s a support group of people out there who know about it, having gone through it,” Hall said.

He noted the importance of early detection and utilizing the various medical techniques available that can diagnose the disease quickly and create a better chance of survival for victims of breast cancer.

“My mother had it. I’ve had friends, neighbors and relatives face it, and we need to make sure this is a priority,” Hall said of creating awareness.

A hearing was held in the commissioners’ office Monday, Oct. 6 for the application of brine to the property of Miller Lumber, just east of Millersburg. There were no community objections, and the commissioners approved the application process.

The commissioners also approved the addition of two new members to the Holmes County Local Emergency Planning Commission. Killbuck Fire Chief Derwin Clemens was accepted as a representative of the first aid component while Jeff Yoder, the extremely hazardous substance director at Center in Berlin, was added to represent the industry sector.