WARREN — The Trumbull County Auditor’s Office is asking owners of nearly 500 parcels of land transferred between 2020 and 2022 to contact the office to determine if they qualify for a Current Agricultural Use Values refund because of an error made in the calculation of the property values.

County Auditor Martha Yoder said her office is working to ensure that the owners of properties that were sold, but may have overpaid their taxes during that time, also are compensated.

CAUV is a state program that values commercial farmland at its use rather than at market value. Soil values are used to set the CAUV, which reduces property taxes for farmers. State officials determine the CAUV every three years and they are sent to the county to use in their evaluations.

The errors affected taxes for more than 3,200 parcels reviewed during those years.

Yoder said her office was notified of the error, which originated in 2020, shortly after she took office in 2023.

“The correction began in February with refunds to the owners of properties that had not transferred since the error occurred,” she said.

Properties that were transferred or sold are being addressed through the current effort to locate and notify the property owners.

“We don’t have addresses or contact information for previous owners,” Yoder said. “This is our effort to find these owners and refund the money owed to them.”

In an effort to find the property owner and issue refunds to them, a page has been created on the auditor’s website listing affected parcels by township and municipality. There is also a form for applying for the refund. These can be accessed at: https://www.co.trumbull.oh.us/Auditor/Real-Estate/CAUV/refunds

The refund application forms can be returned in person, by mail or by email. Those seeking refunds will be required to verify their identity with appropriate documentation.

These lists will be available on the auditor’s website for the next three months. Those eligible for refunds will receive them at the end of that period. After this time period, all remaining funds will be moved to the county’s unclaimed funds.

Questions regarding this can be addressed by calling 330-675-2886 or emailing CAUV@co.trumbull.oh.us.