COLUMBUS, Ohio — The Ohio group seeking to abolish property taxes has collected "well" over 100,000 signatures to get the constitutional amendment on the ballot, the organizer said. This comes as lawmakers are passing bipartisan relief bills.
It's reached a boiling point for Beth Blackmarr, a Lakewood resident fed up with rising property taxes.
"My house payment is going to be going up to $120 a month," Blackmarr said. "It's crazy. That puts a stress on us."
She has been begging state lawmakers to provide some relief — and she isn't the only one. She is part of Citizens for Property Tax Reform, a grassroots organization based in Cuyahoga County.
"Something is wrong and what's wrong is that the legislature did not do their job," she said. "Legislature, get moving!"
The state lawmakers say they are trying.
"The changes we made today will save $2.4 billion over the next three years for our taxpayers in Ohio," state Rep. Bill Roemer (R-Richfield) said in a press conference Wednesday afternoon.
Roemer and the Republican leadership cheered two bipartisan bills that passed this week.
Both H.B. 186 and 335 limit how much money school districts can get from rising home values — tying tax increases to inflation.
Read more in-depth about each proposal on News 5's media partner Ohio Capital Journal.
State Rep. David Thomas (R-Jefferson) explained that not everyone will get relief, but this is a step in the right direction.
"It will vary district to district," Thomas said. "But those that saw the most spikes will then see the most benefit."
Blackmarr isn't impressed, laughing at the legislators' efforts.
"It's probably about 20 years too late for some of this," she said.
House Speaker Matt Huffman (R-Lima) knows this and acknowledged the sudden urgency to pass property tax relief bills after years of inaction.
"I have to say that the threat of a ballot initiative is part of the thing that's driving this," Huffman said.
Blackmarr is leading the movement to abolish property taxes in the state, collecting signatures to get a constitutional amendment on the ballot.
RELATED: Ohio citizens working to get proposal on ballot to abolish property taxes
"We'll tell you that — well in excess of 100,000," Blackmarr responded when I tried to get a number of how many signatures the campaign has collected.
To get a proposal on the ballot, amendments need to receive about 415,000 valid signatures.
She said they don't have any backers or money, and aren't affiliated with any political action committees — it's all volunteer work.
Lawmakers warn that the initiative could bankrupt local governments. Blackmarr responded, saying that they better do something to appease homeowners, then.
"They need to compete with this ballot initiative," Blackmarr said.
"What could they do to earn your support?" I asked her.
"I don't know that they'd earn my support," she replied. "They need to do something drastic."
At this point, she said, the campaign is not standing down.
Follow WEWS statehouse reporter Morgan Trau on Twitter and Facebook.
