COLUMBUS, Ohio - Ohio House of Representatives voted to override a veto by Governor Mike DeWine that could change what voters see on the ballot. 

If passed by the Senate, school districts and local governments will be barred from putting replacement or emergency levies on the ballot.

During a special session with the State House, some representatives said the change would hurt school funding. 

“The governor vetoed this item for a reason. It’s not because he doesn’t want property tax relief. He vetoed it because it’s not going to provide property tax relief, and it's putting the responsibility on the backs of local communities and schools that are already strained because of a state that underfunds them,” said Dani Isaacsohn, Ohio State Representative (D-Cincinnati).

Others said it's a step towards transparency.

“It’s putting the responsibility on the backs of local communities and schools that are already strained because of a state that underfunds them,” said David Thomas, Ohio State Representative (R-Jefferson).

Mahoning County Auditor Ralph Meacham said replacement levies often cost more than taxpayers think.

“If it's a renewal, the asset values remain the same. And the reduction factor, that means your millage would decrease as asset value increases. When we do a replacement, that reduction factor goes away. So, it's going to be a tax increase,” said Meacham.

As of now, there is no limit on how many times an emergency levy can be placed on the ballot. This means the levy could be on the ballot over and over again for years. 

“Some of these emergency levies have gone up for years and years and years. An emergency levy was originally constructed [for] the budgetary shortfall for a short period of time,” said Meacham.

Meacham said there's also a certain amount of money schools are guaranteed and that emergency levies are added on top of that. That guarantee is known as the 20-mill floor. 

“Emergency levies and capital improvement levies do not count against the 20-mill floor. So, if you have an emergency levy, it would not reduce the amount you're getting if you hit the 20-mill floor,” said Meacham.

Governor DeWine signed the 2026-2027 state budget into law on June 30 but vetoed 67-line items.

Representatives voted 61-28 Monday to override item 66, which pertains to school district property tax levy restrictions. To override a veto, 60 votes were needed.

According to Governor DeWine's veto message, item 66 eliminates the authority for political subdivisions to levy replacement property tax levies and the authority for school districts to levy fixed-sum emergency, substitute emergency levies, and combined school district income tax and fixed-sum property tax levies.

His veto on item 66 was "in the public interest" according to his veto message. The Ohio House will reconvene on July 24 for another session.