Cuyahoga County voters approve two property tax levies despite rising bills

Voters in Cuyahoga County, Ohio, approved two property tax increases on Tuesday to support social services, even as many homeowners in the Cleveland area complain about rising bills.

The larger of the two renews the county’s 4.7-mill health and human services levy and adds 2.5 mills, for a combined 7.2 mills that will run for 10 years. The levy pays for a wide range of services, including children’s services, mental health and addiction treatment, senior services, homeless services, emergency food help and support for the county’s public hospital, MetroHealth. Voters also approved an increase for developmental disabilities programs.

County officials argued the increase was needed because levy-funded costs have risen by about 5% a year since 2021, and reserves were running below the level the county requires.

How Ohio levies work

In Ohio, many local services are funded by voter-approved levies stated in mills, where one mill is $1 of tax for every $1,000 of taxable value. Ohio taxes homes on 35% of their appraised value, so a 1-mill levy on a $200,000 home applies to $70,000 of taxable value and costs about $70 a year before credits.

Ohio also has a feature that surprises many newcomers. For most voted levies, the amount of money the levy raises is fixed when it passes. When property values rise at reappraisal, the state applies reduction factors so the levy does not automatically collect more. That is why counties and school districts return to voters regularly with renewals and increases.

What Cuyahoga homeowners pay

Cuyahoga County is one of the highest-taxed counties in Ohio relative to home values. Census survey figures for 2020 to 2024 put the typical Cuyahoga bill at $3,910 a year on a median home worth $195,400, an effective rate of about 2.0%. That is well above the Ohio typical rate of about 1.31% and more than double the national figure of 0.94%.

Bills there are high relative to home prices for a familiar reason: the county has many separate cities, villages and school districts, each with its own levies, and home values in many communities are modest. A high rate on a lower-priced home can still produce a bill similar to a low rate on an expensive home elsewhere.

Common questions

What did Cuyahoga County voters approve? A renewal and increase of the health and human services levy to 7.2 mills for 10 years, plus a developmental disabilities levy increase.

What is a mill? One dollar of tax for every $1,000 of taxable value. In Ohio, taxable value is 35% of appraised value.

What is the typical property tax in Cuyahoga County? About $3,910 a year on a median home worth $195,400, an effective rate near 2.0%.

Why do Ohio levies come back so often? Most voted levies raise a fixed amount, so local governments return to voters for renewals and increases as costs grow.