Welcome to the Belmont County Auditor's website! We are delighted to have you here and serve as your trusted resource for all matters related to property assessments, tax administration, and public records. As the County Auditor, our primary goal is to provide accurate and transparent information to property owners and residents of our county. Whether you are seeking property tax information, need assistance with exemptions or valuations, or simply want to explore the various services we offer, our website is designed to deliver a user-friendly experience and access to a wealth of valuable resources. We are committed to ensuring fairness, efficiency, and exceptional customer service in all our endeavors. Thank you for visiting, and we look forward to assisting you in any way we can.

There is a growing movement to eliminate property taxes in the State of Ohio. While this may sound like a tax break for property owners, it would have serious and long-lasting consequences for every resident — regardless of whether they own property.

Property taxes are the foundation of local government funding, providing stability and predictability that communities depend on to function. Eliminating them outright would place our schools, public safety forces, and vital community services at immediate risk.

WHAT DO PROPERTY TAXES FUND?

In Belmont County and across Ohio, property taxes support:

• Public Education – Local property taxes make up over 70% of school district funding in many areas. These dollars pay for teachers, transportation, special education, extracurriculars, and basic operations.

• Police, Fire, and EMS Services – Most townships and municipalities rely on voter-approved levies to maintain law enforcement and emergency response services.

• Township and Municipal Government Operations – Property tax revenue supports road maintenance, snow removal, zoning, and day-to-day governance.

• County Services – Including public health, mental health boards, services for those with developmental disabilities, and the county jail.

• Senior Programs – From transportation and nutrition programs to in-home assistance.

• Libraries and Parks – Many are funded entirely or substantially by local property taxes.

Without this revenue, these services would be gutted or eliminated altogether.

WHO WOULD BE MOST AFFECTED?

The loss of property tax revenue would hurt everyone, but especially:

• Seniors on fixed incomes, who benefit from local senior services and tax exemptions that offset property costs — but would face higher everyday expenses if sales tax rise.

• Low-income and working-class residents, who don’t benefit much from the elimination of property taxes but would pay more through sales or income tax increases.

• Renters, who may not directly pay property taxes but contribute to them through rent. They would still suffer the loss of services — with no offsetting benefit.

• Rural residents, who rely on levies to support volunteer fire departments, EMS, and small schools that don’t have alternative funding streams.

THE PROBLEM WITH REPLACEMENT IDEAS

Some have proposed replacing property taxes with sales or income taxes. But these are regressive and unstable:

• Sales taxes hit lower-income households hardest, as they spend more of their income on taxable goods like food, clothing, and medicine.

• Income taxes fluctuate with the economy, leaving local governments vulnerable to recessions or downturns.

• No replacement model has yet been proposed that provides the same level of funding, fairness, and local accountability as the current property tax system.

THE NEED FOR REFORM — NOT REPEAL

The current property tax system is not perfect. Rising property values, assessment practices, and levy structures have caused concern in many counties, including ours.

That’s why the County Auditors Association of Ohio (CAAO) is actively working with lawmakers to pursue sensible, meaningful reforms to improve transparency, predictability, and fairness — including changes to how properties are valued, how levies are structured, and how tax relief programs are implemented.

But abolishing property taxes entirely would be reckless and harmful. It would take away local control, destabilize community services, and shift the tax burden to those least able to bear it.

LOCAL CONTROL MATTERS

Ohio’s property tax system allows voters to decide directly at the ballot box what services they want and are willing to pay for — whether it’s EMS coverage, a library, a new school roof, or park maintenance.

Taking away that local decision-making power would concentrate funding control in Columbus and diminish the accountability that currently exists between residents and their local governments.

IN SUMMARY

Property taxes provide essential, stable, and locally controlled revenue. Eliminating them would mean:

• Disrupting schools, police, and fire departments

• Higher taxes elsewhere — especially on seniors and low-income families

• Less community control and more reliance on unpredictable state funding

• Widening inequality and reduced services across the board