By DAN POMPILI

Staff writer

YOUNGSTOWN — The burden is on local governments, school districts and the county itself to provide tax relief for homeowners.

Mahoning County commissioners Tuesday approved a last-minute resolution that will double the owner-occupied tax credit. The change will go into effect next year and will be collected in 2028.

Right now, the 1971 law that implemented the 2,5% tax credit provides reimbursement from Columbus to counties for the cost of the tax revenue that would otherwise be lost. But House Bill 96, passed in 2025, which allows counties to increase either the owner-occupied or homestead exemption tax credits by up to double, does not provide for state reimbursement.

The roughly $4 million in reduced tax revenue created by the tax credit increase will be deducted from the budgets of county agencies, school districts, parks, fire districts and local governments.

“This is the only way that we can react to show dignity and respect to a majority of the taxpayers in this county — that we do care and that we hear you, because this issue’s been going on for two years, and these valuations are not coming down,” said Commissioner Geno DiFabio.

Mahoning County Auditor Ralph Meacham explained to the board last week that this year’s triennial property revaluations will bring a 24% average increase in property values. The revaluation three years ago led to an average increase of 38% and a subsequent 7% average increase in property taxes. This year’s tax increase is not yet known.

Meacham previously estimated the additional owner-occupied credit would save homeowners an average of about $62 annuall. The amount of each homeowner’s owner-occupancy tax credit can be found on their tax bill, and they need only double it to see what their new credit amount will be.

But while the sentiment of tax relief is appreciated, the commissioners’ decision to provide it in this way is not necessarily popular by everyone.

Austintown Trustee Bruce Shepas, representing all 14 Mahoning County townships as president of the Mahoning County Township Association, asked that commissioners table the resolution until local governments have had a chance to discuss it with the board.

“None of us were consulted before this resolution was placed on today’s agenda. We kind of feel blindsided,” he said. “Please table this resolution and allow us the opportunity…to work together toward a solution that balances tax relief with the ability of townships to continue providing the essential services that the people voted for and deserve.”

The state gave counties until the end of business Tuesday — the end of the 2026 fiscal year for state and local governments — to notify the Ohio tax commissioner if they intend to implement either the homestead or owner-occupied credit increases. DiFabio said the board did not know it would be necessary until Meacham told them last week about the revaluation rates.

Shepas noted that his township will have to absorb a $133,000 budget cut, while Boardman Township (including parks) will lose $204,000, Poland Township $33,000, and Canfield Township $26,000.

“That $133,000 to Austintown is nothing to sneeze at. That’s at least one to two staff members,” he said.

He warned that smaller townships such as Milton, Jackson and Berlin would have even greater difficulty absorbing the losses.

According to Meacham’s office, school districts will take the hardest hit, losing more than $2.4 million. County entities will lose nearly $487,000, townships more than $521,000, municipalities more than $100,000 and special districts — such as Boardman Park, Mill Creek MetroParks, and the Public Library of Youngstown and Mahoning County — will lose more than $250,000 collectively.

Canfield Local Schools Treasurer Ben Marko said the district will take a $380,000 hit from the tax adjustment.

“We’re helping out many, many people a tiny little bit, but now we’re going to be impacting possibly four teachers for Canfield,” he said.

He added that if Canfield fails to pass a levy in the coming year, the district could be forced to eliminate 40 to 50 positions, representing roughly 12% to 15% of its staff.

Library officials also issued a statement early Tuesday afternoon:

“While we understand that the increase in property taxes is a real problem for Mahoning County residents and homeowners across Ohio, legislators in Columbus have placed an impossible task on our local elected leaders. This decision will make it more difficult for schools, governments, libraries, agencies, and organizations to continue to provide essential services. For PLYMC, considering the cuts to library funding from the state of Ohio voted for in Columbus last year, this places more strain on our budget. The essential public services we rely on are now saddled with more constraints. These services are what make Mahoning County such a great place to live, work, and raise a family.”

In November, Austintown passed a five-year, 2.22-mill police levy by a margin of 51.7% to 48.3%, which generates over $2 million annually. The department cut more than $200,000 before making the request and suffered a failed levy by the reverse margin a year earlier.

Boardman is poised to place a 2.75-mill safety services levy on the November ballot after the township’s five-year forecast revealed an expected deficit of more than $8.85 million by 2031. The levy is expected to generate close to $3.8 million annually, if passed, to maintain police and fire services at their existing levels.

Township Administrator Mark Ragozine said the forecast was calculated before the commissioners approved the tax credit increase, but the township is not expected to adjust the levy request to account for that difference. He notes that the township reduced its 2026 budget by $437,000 by asking all departments to either make cuts or defer purchases, improvements or other needs.

At Tuesday’s meeting, following some discussions about whether or not the board gave townships and school districts fair warning, all parties seemed to agree that the responsibility for real tax reforms with meaningful relief lies solely with the Ohio Legislature and Governor’s office.

Commissioners unanimously panned the state. DiFabio said Columbus needs to at least provide reimbursement for the tax credit increases. Anthony Traficanti took it a step further.

“Every year, we have to adjust our budget just like all the townships do. Since I’ve been commissioner, the state has probably taken more than $18 million from the county commissioners’ local government funds,” he said.

Traficanti noted that Columbus then forced the county to impose a justice tax to keep the county jail operating, per Ohio statutory mandates.

He said HB 96 is just another burden Columbus places on county governments by forcing them to choose between providing property tax relief and preserving local government revenues.

State Rep. Lauren McNally, D-Youngstown, was the only local legislator at the meeting, and said there has been no movement on tax reform in the statehouse for years, despite widespread rhetoric across Ohio about the possibility of abolishing property taxes.

“It is a matter of political will in Columbus to not do anything on property taxes,” she said.

McNally said extensive research into the matter has already been completed and numerous possible solutions have been proposed. She referenced a bipartisan 900-page property tax study, and a second commission established by Gov. Mike DeWine. McNally said neither effort resulted in legislation.

“There are 30, 35 bills that the auditors have agreed to, that the township associations have agreed to…they’re just sitting,” she said.