Sunday, October 12, 2008

How much is that new property tax going to cost me?


Here is Xenia, Oh there are 5 tax renewals or increases on the November ballot. Each are measured in mills. So what is a mill? A mill is one thousandth of assessed value of your property. Here in Ohio the assessed value is 35% of your appraised value. There is also a 10% rollback and other mysterious "any [other] reimbursements". If you live in Greene County Ohio, you can look this up here. Most other counties in Ohio have similar sites. You can find then using Google by searching [Your County's Name] County GIS.

Here are the issues in Xenia:
#20 Xenia Community City School District Income Tax- Bond Issue
4.2 Mills
$132 per year on a 100K house
1/2 % Income Tax Increase
$194 per year on the average family income of 43K

Greene County Children Services Board Replacement/Increase- Operating
1.5 mills
$48 per year on a 100K house

Greene County Greene Memorial Hospital Renewal- Operating
0.5 mills
$16 per year on a 100K house

Greene County Mental Retardation and Developmental Disabilities Board Renewal- Operating
3.5 mills
$111 per year on a 100K house

Greene County Mental Health and Recovery Board Replacement/Increase- Operating
2 mills
$63 per year on a 100K house

I'm voting no all the tax issues. I'll lay out my reasons in a another post.

Here is a calculator I came up with so you can figure out what a tax issue would cost.

Ohio Millage Property Tax Calculator.

Appraised Value of your House:


Mill Rate:


Yearly Tax Increase:



This is only an estimate and includes the 10% rollback, but not the mysterious other deductions. If you live in your property you may be eligible for a 2.5% decrease. Also if you are 65 or older you maybe eligible for a Homestead deduction.

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

Thanks for the shoutout.

My house was just reappraised for almost 120% of its previous value. That means almost 20% higher taxes for me even without these levies, which is more than enough increase for one year thank you very much.

Anonymous said...

Xenia schools are falling apart. The community has a very defeated attitude and has shown no signs of progress in my 30 years as a resident. I have no problem with investing my tax dollars to see my children have quality facilities to learn and compete in. Your desire to defeat the progress of this levy shows a desire to negate community progression and only takes into account self interest. My children would love to hear why your small amount of income is more important to you than the betterment of Xenia's educational and civic progression.

JD Mackiewicz said...

Mr. Anonymous,

Thank you for your comments. I understand where you are coming from. I don't feel that it is fair that homeschooling or private school families should have to paid through property taxes for public schools. However, I don't see our public school structure changing. I do understand that Xenia Schools are falling apart. I do think it would be a waist to turn down *free* state money for a new school. However, I think the current proposal is over the top and too expensive. I'm hoping the current plan gets voted down and a more sensible less expensive plan gets voted in. My fear is that the high taxes would force people out of Xenia.

Anonymous said...

I don't feel that the tax increase is high. I personally feel that it is a small price to pay for something long overdue. To compete in the future we have to build for the future, and yes it is expensive. However, the state of Ohio is providing an outstanding opportunity for us to exceed the quality of facilities we could build on our own at the same rate. If you wanted to buy a $200k dollar home and could buy it at a $100k price, wouldn't you buy it? I am amazed that anyone would suggest that this is a large price to pay for something so important to our childrens and city's future.

Xeniagirl said...

Below are a few key points you may need to include:

• It would be a poor financial choice to ask local taxpayers to pay 100 percent to rebuild or renovate our schools. If we fail to participate in the OSFC project, residents will need to fund repairs/upgrades on our current schools at a total cost of more than $100 million. Our current 1.3 mill levy only generates $425,000 annually for both building maintenance, bus repairs and even bus purchases. If we don’t participate in the OSFC project, we would need a 3.5 mill levy to bring our schools up to code—and still have old buildings. Simply: Pay now or pay more later without the state’s help.

• We have only one year to pass an issue for the district’s portion of the OSFC project. The OSFC will honor the agreement through August 2009.

• Our elementary schools are crumbling before our eyes; our team of maintenance professionals spend most of their time and available funds patching up buildings.

• The new location of Xenia High School just south of Ledbetter Road was chosen after months of studies by the City of Xenia and Xenia Community Schools . It is the only site with enough land, easy access for traffic and with a fair price. Other sites considered were too costly, offered dangerous traffic patterns or were located near landfills.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs):

How much money is OSFC offering to Xenia Community Schools?
The State of Ohio will give Xenia Community Schools 46 percent of the cost of the project, which translates into $57,687,856 of state money for improving our district’s buildings—and ultimately, education for our students.

What would be a fair levy for all residents?
After several focus groups and telephone surveys, the Xenia Board of Education discovered that residents wanted to make sure the funding process was fair to all residents.

What will the levy cost the average resident?
As a result of the surveys, the bond issue will be paid for with a combination income and property tax. Issue 20 on the Nov. 4 ballot will be a .5 percent income tax and a 4.2 mill property tax. The owner of a $100,000 home would pay $128.63 annually or about $10.70 monthly; seniors who qualify for the Homestead Act would pay a reduced amount of $96.47 or about $8 monthly. Income tax would be based on qualifying income.

Anonymous said...

I hope you are happy when you have to pay more to make the required repairs to Xenia schools since they do not meet code and it will have to be done anyway without the help of the state. No wonder Xenia is such a defeated town. We can't even get people to support our school system, which is the single most important issue that effects your property value. Geniuses