MANSFIELD, Ohio — It seemed like a typo for Scott Sickles of Mansfield.
He stared at his property tax bill for his 1100-square-foot home, noticing a 65% increase compared to the previous year.
"I’m low income and it’s hard to pay for something you don’t have," he said.
His property tax increase comes as a result in part because of his appraised property value for his three-bedroom home rising from $22,920 in 2022 to $45,360 in 2023.
County appraisers in Ashland, Ashtabula, Geauga, Richland, Summit, and Wayne Counties recently wrapped up their required sexennial and triennial property reappraisals and saw an average of more than 30% increases in residential property values.
Richland County Auditor Pat Dropsey told News 5 that the overall residential value increase was finalized with the Ohio Department of Taxation at around 28%.
Much of that increase, experts point out, is from nearby and comparable property sales that are reported to the state.
"The bottom line, we had stupid sales," he said. "We had properties valued at around $200,000 that sold at $600,000."
Dropsey said the ripple effect of a record-breaking housing market during the pandemic is now hitting people's tax bills as part of these required reappraisals.
In 2024, Cuyahoga, Erie, Huron, Lake, Lorain, Portage and Stark Counties are slated to reevaluate their properties as well as part of the state-mandated reappraisals.
As News 5 previously reported, auditors from across the state are reminding homeowners that the percent increase in home values doesn't necessarily correlate to the tax increase.
"Just cause your taxes are going up X percent, that [means] your taxes are going up that same percentage — that’s not true," Geauga County Auditor Chuck Walder previously said. "It’s fractional, but it is significant."
How to challenge your home's valuation
Now through the end of March, homeowners throughout the state can challenge that valuation by reaching out to their county auditor or fiscal office.
"If you have pictures and you can show you have water issues, whether its your basement anything you can feel can bolster your argument as to why your value is too high," Dropsey explained.
In Sickles' case, he understands a neighboring house that sold for over the asking price in 2021 likely contributed to his own personal home valuation increase. However, he hopes he can successfully appeal his valuation by pointing out some of those kinds of issues that exist in his home.
"I got foundation issues, I’m leaking water in my house, and my roof leaks, and I don’t have money for that," he said. "I’m working overtime at work so I can get an appraiser to come to get a better estimate on the house."
To view a complaint against the valuation application, click here.
We don’t just report the initial story—we follow through to its conclusion. Read and watch our previous reporting on this story below and see more stories that we've followed through on here.
While the deadline to appeal your property valuation across the state is March 31, the first half of 2023 taxes are becoming due.
In Lorain, Medina and Huron, that deadline has already passed.
Here are other counties' due dates for the first half of 2023 taxes:
February 15: Cuyahoga
February 16: Tuscarawas, Carroll
February 21: Ashtabula, Lake, Erie, Stark, Holmes, Geauga
February 22: Wayne
February 26: Portage
February 29: Summit
March 6: Ashland, Richland
If a homeowner is successful in challenging their valuation, a decrease would be reflected in the second half of the 2023 tax bill.
