LISBON — Columbiana County commissioners haven’t decided yet whether to enact what’s being called the piggy back homestead tax exemption, which could nearly double the current savings for property owners who qualify and receive the current homestead exemption.

The issue was raised Wednesday by former county commissioner Dave Cranmer, who talked about the property tax relief enacted by the legislature and how the power was given to county commissioners on whether the homestead exemption relief should be granted.

He explained that March 20 was the effective date for the rule changes and a resolution would have to be passed by July 1 to affect the tax bills for next year. He said the last numbers he had from 2024 or 2025 showed 5,950 parcels that qualify for the homestead exemption in Columbiana County, which could be less or more.

“Will there be a resolution forthcoming for the tax credit on the home exemption for those who qualify? Yes or no.

Commissioner Roy Paparodis, who serves as board president this year, said there’s been a lot of discussion statewide about that.

“What affects in one regard affects someone else in the other. We haven’t made that decision yet,” he said.

“So there’s no answer?” Cranmer said. “Not yet,” Paparodis replied.

“So we may not get it?” Cranmer asked.

“It’s being discussed,” Paparodis said.

“I think the legislature did everyone a disservice by making it a debatable item that falls on you guys,” Cranmer said.

He added that it’s already been explained to him that “by giving us that credit, that takes away tax dollars from East Palestine or my township or whoever, whoever, whoever, I don’t care.”

Paparodis again said that everybody’s talking about it at the state level, including the County Commissioners Association of Ohio and the County Auditors Association of Ohio. Every solution affects another problem “so we haven’t decided that.”

After the meeting, Commissioner Tim Ginter explained that the state legislature gave the commissioners the option of doubling the homestead exemption, but he said the bill doesn’t allow commissioners to choose what subdivisions would be affected. All the cuts would be across the board to all subdivisions, so all township, schools, villages, cities, libraries, fire departments, police and any other entity receiving property tax income.

In other words, if the homestead exemption doubles, that’s more loss in income for all the entities.

“The collateral damage is why more counties haven’t done it, the ancillary impact it will have is a concern,” Ginter said.

According to a CCAO document, only nine out of 88 counties had enacted the homestead exemption credit.

Ginter admitted it would be easy to say yes and Commissioner Mike Halleck said he would love to do it, but townships have to function, along with other entities. They would lose money.

“The state of Ohio needs to restructure property tax and how schools are funded because that’s the largest reliance on property taxes, the schools, however, how do you make those monies up? That’s the question. They need to restructure property taxes as a whole,” Halleck said.

According to county Auditor Nancy Gause Milliken, the homestead exemption is based on being at least 65 years or older and based on income, except in the case of a disabled veteran. She said to qualify, a property owner 65 years or older can’t make more than $41,000 per year.

For the current homestead exemption, she said the state replenishes that money. In the case of the new homestead exemption, if approved, the money lost won’t be replenished by the state.

“The commissioners have a difficult decision to make. They’re still looking at it and how it would affect the subdivisions,” Milliken said.

Cranmer also asked questions about the American Rescue Plan Act funds and whether all the money had been encumbered or whether any had been encumbered by commissioners for future projects. He also asked questions about when the sales tax passed last year takes effect, commenting that some things “deserve the light of day of day so people know where the funds are and where they’re coming from.”

Halleck said money for ARPA has to be spent this year and was encumbered last year.

After the meeting, Halleck said “every dime of the ARPA money went through this board and this meeting.”