Lake County Commissioner John Plecnik
Another Viewpoint
Willoughby News-Herald
Time for choosing on property taxes
Commissioner John Plecnik / September 9, 2025
Harkening back to Ronald Reagan, now is a time for choosing. The status quo of ever- increasing property taxes is no longer a viable option. Either the state legislature votes for meaningful property tax relief, such as a 100% property tax exemption for seniors and a freeze in property tax values for everyone, or polls show the people of Ohio will vote to abolish property taxes altogether.
If necessity is the mother of invention, then repetition is the mother of retention. So let me say it again, the status quo is dead.
I fully understand that many, if not most, politicians wish this crisis would go away on its own. Under current law, every three years, property tax values go up. In the past, taxpayers would grumble, but then they would let it go and move on. This time is different.
The highest inflation in my lifetime forever changed the game. In the last revaluation,
property values didn’t just tick up, they were inflated by an average of 30% across Ohio. This resulted in a double digit percentage increase in the average property tax bill.
Moreover, county auditors across the state are warning that another double digit increase is on the way for the next revaluation if action is not taken to prevent it.
In response, politicians are slowly working through the five stages of grief on property taxes: {1) Denial that this time is different; (2) Anger that taxpayers really expect them to do more with less; (3) Bargaining by proposing meaningless “property tax reform” that won’t cut your taxes a single penny; (4) Depression over the new normal of lower taxes, less spending and smaller government; and (5) Acceptance that they have to change their tune or lose their next election.
That said, taxpayers are not sitting on their hands and waiting for their politicians to come around.
The Committee to Abolish Property Taxes, which includes Brian Massie, Mayor John Marra of Timberlake Village, Leonard Gilbert, Keith Davey and Elayne Cross, is busy organizing a modern day Boston Tea Party. In a wholly volunteer effort, Ohioans are circulating petitions and collecting hundreds of thousands of signatures for a state constitutional amendment to abolish property taxes.
Ohio law requires a minimum number of signatures to place a constitutional amendment on the ballot equal to 10% of the total vote for governor during the last election. This translates to about 413,487 valid signatures.
For my part, I am proud to be the first county commissioner in Ohio to sign.
Massie, Marra and Gilbert are all from Lake County, and I know them well. For anyone who doubts their ability to get the signatures, let me tell you, they are going to get it done.
In all likelihood, the state constitutional amendment to abolish property taxes will be on your ballot in 2026. However, the committee is permitted to keep collecting signatures until they hit the magic number, and they won’t stop until they do.
Once again, polls show overwhelming support for the amendment should it make it to the ballot.
If you support abolition, this is cause for celebration.
However, if you think abolishing property taxes is a bridge too far, then let me give you some sincere advice. Don’t waste your breath arguing against abolition. Saying the government can’t afford to cut property taxes, or schools need the money, to a senior in danger of losing their home is not a winning argument. They will reply, it’s still better than losing my home.
Instead, argue for the state legislature to adopt property tax relief now.
The status quo is dead. Now is a time for choosing between a historic property tax cut or abolition.
Categories: Community Activism, Free Speech Zone, Lake, Real Estate Taxes