This is a recap of the last Lake County Commissioners’ meeting held June 9, 2026
By a Lake County Patriot
Tax credits and school funding
Commissioners again pointed to the state as the source of ongoing tension between property tax relief and school funding.
Commissioner John T. Plecnik said Ohio residents can have both strong public schools and meaningful tax relief.
“If schools need more money, it should come from the state’s income and sales tax, not from seniors on fixed incomes,” he said.
Commissioner Morgan R. McIntosh – a former Concord Township trustee – said he has emphasized a key point to some state lawmakers: “You’ve passed tax reform at a high level, given people a break, but the story that’s not told is the pressure that puts on local government to, in turn, either get some of that tax back to support their local services. I would argue that’s a model that actually works because it gives the taxpayer greater transparency at the local level to see where their tax dollars are going. It’s much easier to look at your township or city budget and see where they’re spending money than is necessarily the state, but there is a disconnect between the actions the state takes and the cost of local government.”
Beverage said the state is not keeping pace with inflation or wage growth in its school funding contributions. He presented a financial analysis showing that while school revenues have risen, expenses – driven largely by salaries and benefits – have increased at a much faster rate.
Public comment
Two residents addressed commissioners during the public comment portion of the meeting.
Sheryl Lawrinson, of Wickliffe, urged commissioners to double the Homestead Exemption and the owner-occupancy tax credit, as they did this year.
“We know that our property taxes are going up next year, anywhere from 15 to 25%,” she said, adding that the Homestead Exemption “for myself and my husband helped us tremendously.”
She also noted declining school enrollment.
“The enrollment in these schools are down,” she said. “Mentor has approximately 1,000 students less than what they had. Wickliffe, this year, graduated 91 students. Last year, it was 113. My husband graduated in 1971. He had over 300 in his class.”
Christina Andow, an at-large school board member of the Kirtland Board of Education, said she was speaking both as a board member and as a parent. She asked commissioners not to double the tax credits again next year, saying the reduction in revenue is hurting her district.
“We don’t have a huge admin staff,” she said. “Our superintendent is grossly underpaid, and we just approved his contract last night. Grossly underpaid. And everybody pitches in to give 100% so that the kids don’t feel any of the pinch.”
The next commissioners meeting is scheduled for 10 a.m. June 16.
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Categories: Contributors, Lake, Lake County - General, Ohio Counties