Blogs

by Nicole Piscitani • Sept. 21, 2029

The Ohio Legislature passed House Bill (HB) 96, the biennial budget, and sent it to Gov. Mike DeWine on June 27. He signed it on June 30 and issued 67 line-item vetoes. Legislators in both the Ohio House and Senate left Columbus for their traditional summer legislative break that follows the finalization of a budget every two years. Traditionally, they return to the Statehouse mid-September.

While legislators are back in their legislative districts, they still work with legislative staff and the Legislative…

by Nicole Piscitani • Sept. 7, 2025

The summer recess is almost over, with the Ohio legislature returning for committees the week of Sept. 15. The fall legislative calendar looks similar in both the Ohio House and Ohio Senate, with eight session days scheduled during October and November. Both the House and Senate have also scheduled some if-needed sessions in September and December. While it isn’t clear what the legislative priorities are, there are a few issues to watch.

Property taxes
The Ohio legislature included several property tax items in…

by Nicole Piscitani • July 21, 2025

Gov. Mike DeWine signed the biennial budget, House Bill (HB) 96, on June 30. As he did in the three previous budgets, he used his power of the line-item veto to remove 67 provisions from this budget. Several of the provisions vetoed would have impacted public education funding at the local level. In response to DeWine’s line-item vetoes, the Ohio House considered overriding three of them in a House Session on July 21.

Item 55 — Property tax: County budget commission authority and procedure
This…

by Nicole Piscitani, deputy director of legislative services • June 23, 2025

OSBA remains committed to ensuring that every student in Ohio has access to a high-quality education. That’s why I recently testified before the House Ways and Means Committee in opposition to House Bill (HB) 335 — legislation that, if passed, would have a devastating impact on public school students across the state. A summary of that testimony is below.

This bill threatens to take nearly $2 billion in funding away from school districts by eliminating inside millage, a key piece of Ohio’s…

by Nicole Piscitani • Feb. 22, 2025

For the past three years, home valuations have been historically high, resulting in homeowners paying higher property taxes. The Ohio General Assembly is set to address this issue through multiple property tax bills. It is likely that at least one property tax bill will pass during the next six months.

The homestead exemption is a reduction program that the legislature can use to address property taxes for certain individuals. Ohio’s constitution allows the legislature to give a property tax credit to homeowners 65 years of age or…

by Nicole Piscitani • April 26, 2024

The Joint Committee on Property Tax Review and Reform reconvened to learn the complexities of school funding. The panel of legislators heard invited testimony from Michael Sobul, a retired research administrator with the Ohio Department of Taxation and former treasurer for the Granville EV School District. Sobul provided historical knowledge and a detailed explanation of the portions of the Ohio Constitution that govern property tax laws and, in particular, the funding that school districts receive through inside and…

by Nicole Piscitani • Jan. 25, 2024

The Ohio Joint Committee on Property Tax Review and Reform held its second meeting and focused the discussion by inviting the Ohio Board of Tax Appeals and four auditors from the County Auditors' Association of Ohio (CCAO). The county auditors who participated in the discussion were:

• Andrea Weaver, Union County auditor
• Jill Davidson, Athens County auditor
• Ronald O'Leary, Cuyahoga County Board of Revision administrator
• Michael Stinziano…

by Nicole Piscitani • Jan. 11, 2024

The Joint Committee on Property Tax Review and Reform held its inaugural meeting on Jan. 10. The committee is made up of 10 legislators, appointed by House and Senate leadership. Those members are:

• Sen. Louis W. Blessing III (R-Colerain Township), co-chair
• Rep. Bill Roemer (R-Richfield), co-chair
• Sen. George F. Lang (R-West Chester)
• Sen. Sandra O’Brien (R-Ashtabula)
• Sen. Hearcel F. Craig (D- Columbus)
• Sen. Bill DeMora (D-Columbus)
• Rep. Tracy M. Richardson (R-Marysville)…