Auditor returns $5M in property taxes to agencies
Schools, cities and other public offices will share $5 million in property tax refunds, after real estate reappraisal costs came in lower than projected.
Franklin County Auditor Michael Stinziano announced the refunds Tuesday,
noting that local schools will receive more than $3.2 million of the total. Cities and villages were set to get $392,195, townships will receive $255,362, libraries will get $131,272, and other county agencies will split $932,525.
The payments should hit recipients accounts this week, Stinziano said.
“We want to get it back to the jurisdictions,” he told The Dispatch. “It's the taxpayers' dollars.”
The funds are set aside from property taxes paid in advance to cover the costs of real estate reappraisals that are regularly undertaken by the auditor's office to better reflect changing property values.
State law requires the collections, but leaves discretion for refunds up to the county auditor. In Franklin County, auditors have opted to send refunds to affected offices, though past auditors have issued the payments every few years, whereas Stinziano has opted for annual refunds.
The new round of refunds is the third since Stinziano took office, with $3.5 million returned in 2020 and $7 million in 2019.
“I am happy to be able to refund this needed money back to our schools, our libraries and our municipalities, and ultimately to our students and taxpayers,” Stinziano said in a released statement. “By being fiscally responsible, your auditor’s office is able to return this money to organizations that directly support our residents with needed services.”
Payments are based on what different groups paid into the fund.
A total of 26 school districts will receive payments, including $1.1 million going to Columbus City Schools, nearly $308,500 to Dublin schools, about $302,600 for Hilliard schools, $254,000-plus for South-western schools, and nearly $240,400 for Worthington schools.
Additionally, 13 cities, 13 villages and 17 townships will receive refunds, with the city of Columbus (nearly $181,000) topping the list.
Among other county agencies, the Franklin County Board of Developmental Disabilities will receive $334,287, Franklin County Children’s Services will get about $234,300, and the Alcohol, Drug and Mental Health Board will receive $105,060. mkovac@dispatch.com @Ohiocapitalblog