Commissioners agree to reduce inside millage in '25 following spike in property valuations

Highland County commissioners David Daniels, Brad Roades and Terry Britton agreed to roll back a portion of the county’s property taxes for current expenses for one year, in response to recent property reevaluations, during their Wednesday, Dec. 11 meeting.

Commissioners voted to amend their agenda to add, and ultimately pass, the resolution reducing the rate of property tax within the 10-mill limitation for tax year 2024 (collectable in 2025) pursuant to Ohio Revised Code 5705.313.

According to Daniels, this will reduce the county’s “inside millage for a period of one year.” The resolution states that the county is currently levying 2.9 mills ($.29 for each $100 of valuation), while next year they will collect 2.5 mills ($.25 for each $100 of valuation).

“This is a resolution that goes back to the valuation of properties in Highland County, and what we saw as a result of the reevaluation,” Daniels said. “The county government gets somewhere between six and nine cents of every tax dollar received.

“We have asked the auditor to take a look at it, and he has brought back a recommendation to reduce the inside mills that the county will receive down to 2.5 mills.”

As previously reported, Highland County Auditor Alex Butler suggested Sept. 11 that the county “investigate” this option “to provide some relief, in light of the increased values and increased cost of living.”

According to the County Commissioners Association of Ohio, “From time to time, a county may decide that it is not necessary to collect some, or all, of its inside mills. The Revised Code allows a county to reduce its inside millage rate without having its allotment reallocated by the County Budget Commission to other local governments.

“In order to voluntarily reduce inside millage, commissioners must either be increasing the rate of a permissive sales tax or have a sales tax in effect. It does not matter whether the sales tax has been enacted under R.C. 5739.021 or R.C. 5739.026. Since all counties currently levy a permissive sales tax, the authority effectively exists for all counties.”

Residential properties in Highland County will see an average 30-percent increase in valuation for the upcoming tax year, as discussed in August.

“I want to point out that we get a very, very small portion of the real estate tax dollars,” Daniels said. “This rollback is not a lot of money to the taxpayer, but it's what we can do. Other taxing entities have the ability to roll back their share of the millage, but we certainly don't have the opportunity to make those decisions for them.”

In other discussion:

• Innergex community and government relations representative Janet Grothe presented a $21,250 check to Highland County Sheriff’s Office Chief Deputy Jennifer Schinkal and Lieutenant Craig Seaman for the purchase of five new Flock Safety cameras. Read more at: https://highlandcountypress.com/news/innergex-donates-21250-toward-new-….

• Highland County Visitors Bureau Executive Director Jamie Wheeler shared a PowerPoint slideshow of the Bureau’s activities since her last update in October 2023. For more, see: https://highlandcountypress.com/news/visitors-bureau-highland-county-pr….

• Highland County mobility manager Carl Rayburn reported that there is “a new regional transportation guide for the counties within our region,” which also include Adams, Brown, Fayette, Gallia, Jackson, Lawrence, Pike, Ross, Scioto and Vinton counties.

“That'll be online by the end of the year, and it’ll go into print in January,” Rayburn said. “We’ll get that distributed out to different places, so folks can look at transportation options between our county and the others within the region to help them get around and know where to reach out to and contact.”

• It was noted that Dec. 18 will be commissioners’ final regular meeting of the 2024 calendar year. Another meeting is scheduled for Monday, Dec. 23 for “bill file only” and no other business “unless it’s an absolute emergency,” according to commission clerk Ashleigh Willey.

• For the remainder of the morning, commissioners were scheduled to meet in executive session with department heads to consider employee compensation.

Commissioners also approved the following:

• An updated 168-page Highland County Policy and Procedure Handbook.

“We have shared this with all the individual department heads and elected officials,” Daniels said. “They've brought back their suggestions as far as what might be specific with employees that work within their division, and we've incorporated some of those things into this manual.

“This is a living, breathing document, so over time, there will be amendments and adjustments to it, but here's where we start. “
Roades thanked human resources manager Amy Bradley for her work and “time spent” on the manual.

• Authorized certifications for OPWC disbursements for the Highland County Engineer’s New Market
Road reconstruction and resurfacing.

• An amendment to a contract among the State of Ohio, Department of Development and Highland County, to reflect a change from monthly reporting to quarterly reporting, according to Britton.

• An amendment to the Capital Improvement project for the Clay Township park. Britton said the state has granted an extension to June 30 to complete the work in Buford.

“The weather kind of caught us,” Britton said.

• A request from the Ohio Division of Liquor Control for a liquor license transfer for Beechwood Carry Out & Pizza. Daniels said it was the same license, “just changing the liquor license from their personal name into the LLC” name. The request was mentioned at a previous meeting but tabled pending public comment. Daniels said they “have not gotten any comment whatsoever.”

• A $1,250 quote from BNM Painting “for all the trim that was not able to be replaced” at the Administration Building, according to Willey.

• A resolution to award Unger Construction, LTD the PY2023 Critical Infrastructure Rolling Acres Wastewater System Repair/Replacement project.

• A budget modification within the Victim Witness Assistance fund in the amount of $168.94.

• A resolution to endorse AMERICA250-OH and their mission to educate, preserve, innovate and celebrate every Ohio in every county.

• A budget modification within the Victim Witness Assistance fund in the amount of $815.

• A budget modification within the Public Assistance Fund (2050) in the amount of $25,000.

• An additional appropriation from unappropriated funds within the Children’s Services Fund in the amount of $325,000.

• A resolution to establish a new line within Rocky Fork Lake Sewer District (5030) Utilities.

• A request from the Treasurer for a budget modification within the 1000 County General Fund in the amount of $710.

• A request from Juvenile Probate Court for a budget modification within the 1000 County General Fund in the amount of $5,700.

• A resolution for the Highland County Sheriff’s Office declaring items no longer needed by the county and
obsolete, ORC 307-12 (A)(1), and to be surplus and no longer needed by the County.

• A budget modification within the 1000 County General Fund in the amount of $475.

• A resolution to establish a new line item within the 7210 DETAC Pros. Attorney Fund – Contracts & Services.

• A resolution to establish a new line within the Block Grant PY 22 (CI) – Other Expense.

• A resolution to establish two new line items within the 2100 Board of Developmental Disabilities Fund - Community Residential Contracts & Services and Community Residential Waiver Match & Other Expense.

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