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Gov. Mike DeWine has approved a legislative package that will save taxpayers an estimated billions of dollars over the next three years by limiting how much future increases in property values can trigger automatic tax hikes. The change will result in a corresponding loss in future revenue to schools and other local governments.
DeWine signed House Bill 124, House Bill 129, House Bill 186, House Bill 309, and House Bill 335 in his ceremonial Statehouse office on Friday. The governor’s signature means the bills take effect in 90 days – delivering a top priority for legislative Republicans ahead of next year’s midterm election.
“These bills bring about meaningful, impactful tax relief that brings about clarity, and no longer will people see the spikes they have seen,” DeWine said. “This action by the legislature on the bills that I signed were absolutely necessary.”
Republicans had been studying how to cut property taxes for two years, regularly calling the issue the number-one topic they hear about from voters. Debate bogged down over disagreement about how the state should pay for property tax cuts – whether through its general revenue, or through tax funding cuts from schools and other governments.
The bills hit another speed bump over the summer when DeWine, at the urging of school officials, vetoed a different property tax bill – prompting lawmakers to head back to the drawing board.
In the meantime, voters angry about the spikes in their tax bills began organizing a campaign to abolish property taxes altogether by amending the state constitution. The amendment campaign, led by grassroots groups, has been trying to collect the hundreds of thousands of voter signatures required to put the measure on the November 2026 ballot. It’s unclear whether the effort will have the resources and sophistication needed to actually qualify.
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