Mahoning County leaders warn property tax repeal could wipe out townships

Mahoning Valley leaders are raising alarms over a citizen-led effort to eliminate property taxes in Ohio, warning the proposal could cripple essential services and even force some townships to shut down if the state does not have an alternative funding plan in place.

Tables are set up across the Valley to collect signatures for the initiative, which supporters hope to place on the statewide ballot next year.

The proposal could abolish property taxes and shift responsibility to state lawmakers to find other funding sources for schools, police, fire departments and local governments.

Mahoning County Commissioner Geno DiFabio said without a plan, the impact would be devastating.

“They [townships] would have no police departments, no fire departments,” DiFabio said, “And it's not fear mongering. It's not trying to get people not to vote on this petition. my point is really to use my position to get people to the table now."

Robert Santos, president of the Mahoning County Township Association and an Austintown trustee, said nearly 90 percent of local township budgets rely on property taxes, and the state needs to act before it’s too late.

“I would hope that the state would start considering alternative ways to fund these services now, instead of waiting to the 12th hour,” Santos said.

As far as what would be cut first in Austintown, Santos said, "Parks are not essential, we would close that down. Roads would just not get paved, zoning wouldn't happen, any of our non-essential services, and the last to go would be our police and fire."

Governor Mike DeWine formed a Property Tax Reform Working Group in July, which is expected to release its recommendations on September 30.

DiFabio said that the deadline is critical for finding a solution before the issue potentially makes the ballot next November, but said, based on conversations he's had during a statewide commissioner's conference on Tuesday, he's not confident there is a plan in place.

"It would be like standing on an X where they're going to drop a nuclear bomb and you know what's coming," DiFabio said about the change, "and you just stand there, wait for it to hit, and then figure out afterwards how you're going to clean up the mess."

Santos and DiFabio both said they support tax relief for residents, but said the state needs to have a clear plan for funding services people depend on.