By Brian Massie, A Watchman on the Wall, An Independent Populist
First, here is our plea to State legislators to following the lead of Pennsylvania and abolish Ohio’s property taxes.
A plea to Senator Jerry Cirino, Representative Daniel Troy, Representative Jamie Callender, Representative Jennifer Gross, Representative David Thomas, and Representative Brian Stewart, please read the following article, and consider this option for Ohioans.
We have compared the property taxes collected for the over 46 taxing authorities in Lake County in 2015 to what will be collected in 2025. The numbers were quite alarming. It confirms our statement that the public sector is outgrowing the private sector’s ability to pay for the services.
| Taxing Authority | 2015 (millions) | 2025 (millions) | Increase in Taxes $ (millions) | Increase in % |
| Lake County | $81.5 | $100.0 | $18.5 | 22.7% |
| Municipalities | $51.9 | $85.4 | $33.5 | 86.7% |
| Libraries | $10.1 | $11.5 | $1.4 | 13.7% |
| Public Schools | $237.6 | $311.2 | $73.6 | 31.0% |
| Total | $381.1 | $508.1 | $127.0 | 33.3% |
To prove our point, the Lake County population in 2010 was 230,041, and the population in 2023 was 231,840. That is an increase of 1,799, or less than 1%. We are spending $127 million more to service 1,799 more people. (Note: This does not take into account the runaway spending by Laketran, who is funded primarily through the sales tax.)
The median household income 2019 – 2023 was $77,952, and there was 10.1% of the population living in poverty.
Here is a revealing statistic that shows the decline in public school enrollment in Lake County. According to the Cupp reports, Lake County’s student enrollment was 30,811 in 2017, and 26,533 in 2024. This is a decline of 4,278 (13.9%). We are spending more money ($73.6 million) to educate less children, and if you look at the proficiency scores, you may start wondering if you can get your property tax money back.
Here is our detailed report comparing 2025 property taxes to be collected versus 2015.
Stay tuned…we will be publishing the impact of the sexennial revaluation on Lake County property taxes. We will also look at the impact of increasing property taxes on our business / industrial base.
Categories: Community Activism, Lake, Lake County - General, Ohio Counties, Uncategorized