Property taxes are on the minds of homeowners and politicians across Ohio these days and for good reason.

Property taxes have increased by as much as 40% after the most recent round of revaluations in the state, including here in Mahoning County, where another round of revaluations is set for this year and still another in 2030, per the Ohio Department of Taxation.

The concern is that some homeowners — especially older people on fixed incomes whose homes are already paid off — may be priced out of houses they’ve lived in for decades.

Christine Oliver, one of three Republican candidates for a Mahoning County commissioners seat in the May 5 primary, pledges to do something about it if she is elected.

Oliver, a U.S. Navy veteran and current president of Canfield City Council, is running against fellow Republicans Don Dragish and Bruce Shepas.

Dragish is the mayor of Canfield, and Shepas is an Austintown Township trustee. The winner of the GOP primary will face Democrat and current state Rep. Lauren McNally in November’s general election.

The Vindicator’s editorial board is endorsing Oliver in the GOP primary.

All three Republican candidates agree that economic development in Mahoning County is a priority, especially compared to neighboring Trumbull County, where construction has begun on an Amazon distribution center and a Kimberly-Clark production facility. The former is in Bazetta Township and the latter at the former RG Steel site, which encompasses parts of Warren, Howland Township and Warren Township.

The Mahoning GOP candidates are right — the county does seem to be behind Trumbull when it comes to attracting such multimillion-dollar projects that can bring in jobs and tax money.

Shepas — in his endorsement interview with The Vindicator’s editorial board and reporter Dan Pompili — pointed to about $34 million in business investments in Austintown during his time as a trustee, including a Meijer grocery store and Chik-fil-A restaurant. Dragish, in his interview, said “it’s very difficult to do business in Youngstown” because of red tape and the failure to make the most of the county’s unique location between Cleveland and Pittsburgh. Dragish also said the commissioners can’t simply wait for companies to decide to locate here — they need to “knock on doors, make calls, [and] build relationships.”

Oliver also pledged to “focus on attracting new business investment, supporting existing employers and encouraging entrepreneurship that creates well-paying jobs for local residents.” She said development of county assets, collaboration with county municipalities and responsible use of incentives like tax abatement can also be tools with which to grow Mahoning’s economy.

Oliver also said boosting the county’s workforce in partnership with the Mahoning County Career and Technical and Youngstown State University — along with existing local businesses and labor unions — will be critical to fostering growth.

We agree that economic development is important to the future of Mahoning County. New businesses coming here — especially those that might create hundreds of needed jobs — will help. But what about the people who already live here, but are facing mounting tax burdens?

A key part of Oliver’s platform is her willingness to try to persuade the other current Mahoning commissioners, Republican Gino DeFabio and Democrat Anthony Traficanti, to change their minds about where they stand on two issues important to the senior homeowners they represent — doubling the homestead exemption and the owner-occupancy credit.

To this point, DeFabio, Carol Rimedio-Righetti and Traficanti have not been willing to go there despite the fact that county commissioners can elect to do so.

Oliver already has publicly disagreed with their position. But if elected, she will be in a better position to make her case to DeFabio and Traficanti.

“As commissioner, I’ll advocate to increase the homestead tax exemption for seniors, double the owner-occupancy exemption and lead our county in advocating for more tax dollars to stay in the county, with our schools, and our first responders, which are all funded in part by property taxes,” Oliver said.

Mahoning County Auditor Ralph Meacham told the commissioners that increasing those exemptions for older homeowners would cost the county $12.2 million in tax revenue. Certainly, doing so would force commissioners to make some difficult budget decisions.

But frankly, that is part of the job and should already be happening. Perhaps OIiver can be a catalyst in that regard.

The first step is to win over voters in the primary and then do it against McNally in November.