Auditor Walder, Prosecutor Flaiz, and Treasurer Hitchcock Urge Property Tax Reform but Warn Against Abolishment of All Property Taxes

Geauga County Township Association (GCTA) Quarterly Business Meeting
July 9, 2025

What You Need to Know: In a discussion before more than 100 Geauga County and Township Officials, Auditor Walder, Prosecutor Flaiz, and Treasurer Hitchcock all agreed that property tax reform is urgently needed in Ohio. However, they cautioned against the complete abolishment of all property taxes, as they warned that basic Township services could lose their funding if this occurred. Mr. Walder said that this might result in residents being billed for services, including police, fire, and EMS calls. Mr. Walder also hypothesized that the County may need to drastically increase sales taxes in order to continue to fund operations if property taxes were eliminated, which in turn might drive consumers to do their shopping elsewhere. Instead of abolishing all property taxes, Mr. Walder, Mr. Flaiz, and Mr. Hitchcock suggested reforms to reduce the financial burden of property taxes, including increasing homestead exemptions and restructuring school funding. They also advocated for the General Assembly to override the vetoed items in the State Budget dealing with property taxes, which would allow County Budget Commissions to reduce voter-approved levies, change how minimum required school funding levels are calculated, and eliminate certain types of levies.

READ THE JULY 9 GCTA OBSERVER REPORT HERE