By Brian Massie, A Watchman on the Wall
Several Eastlake residents asked us to inform the Eastlake City Council about the impact of the mandated sexennial revaluation on the property taxes for those in the Willoughby-Eastlake School District.
I was only allowed 3 minutes to speak, and I could not say everything that I wanted to say, so here is my complete presentation. Unfortunately, the City Council has not spent a lot of money on their audio equipment and the sound is not great. I could not hear the Council members during their discussions on the resolutions they passed. We will let the residents determine if Council really wants them to hear what is discussed. If I were a resident, I would complain about a lack of transparency.
For those that want to dig deeper into the numbers, here are worksheets detailing the tax levies for the County, City of Eastlake and the Willoughby-Eastlake School District, and the impact of the 30% increase in market valuation for Class 1 (Residential and Agriculture) properties.
The citizens must understand that this increase in property taxes will happen without a vote of the people. It is dealing with inside (unvoted) millage, and with the school district’s outside millage that will be treated as inside millage because of a tax law known as the 20 mil floor limitation. The tax reduction feature of HB 920 is no longer in effect when the 20 mil floor is reached. This is a MAJOR windfall for the County, City of Eastlake and the Willoughby-Eastlake School District.
It is interesting to us that the School District gets a major windfall even though the Ohio Supreme Court has deemed property taxes, as a funding mechanism for schools, to be unconstitutional. And the taxpayers just sit back and take it!
ANY TAX THAT, IF UNPAID, WILL CAUSE A HOMEOWNER TO BE HOMELESS IS IMMORAL!
Let’s see who “steps up to the plate” to help the taxpayers.
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[If there is any Lake County group that would like us to explain the tax impact of the property revaluations to their taxing districts in 2024 with the collection in 2025, please send an email to stoppropertytaxes@gmail.com, and we will respond to your request.
We can, at the same time, explain the Housing Affordability Threshold that will allow a homeowner to determine if they can afford any proposed tax levy that they may see on future ballots. Do not be taxed out of your home!]
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Categories: Eastlake, Lake, Lake County - General, Uncategorized