LUCAS COUNTY, Ohio —
If you own property in Lucas County, you may have received a concerning letter from the auditor's office following a recent assessment.
Many saw increases in the property value update notices sent by the Lucas County Auditor's Office. Across the county, property values increased on average by 29.5%, according to Lucas County Auditor Katie Moline.
In comparison, the office's triennial update in 2021 reported an average increase of only 16%, Moline said.
These increases are something Moline said are not only happening here but across the country.
"The property values and property sales have just skyrocketed," Moline said.
Moline said in Ottawa County, there was a 33% average increase and a 32% average increase in Fulton County.
Some people have reported increases ranging from 40 to 60%. Moline said there are a few reasons for different rate increases. She said sales in someone's immediate neighborhood are one factor.
"What improvements maybe you had on your home, or what's the square footage," Moline said.
Moline also said if someone's home was undervalued in the last assessment, there could be a larger increase now.
However, if someone thinks their assessment is inaccurate, they can appeal it through an informal property review. This can be submitted online, by calling the auditor's office or in person.
"You would put an amount in and then you'd give a little bit of information of why you think it's that amount," Moline said. "So if you recently had a reappraisal done or you had an appraisal done, and it showed an amount that maybe is less than what we assessed it as."
Moline said the goal is to have the assessments done by Oct. 11 so they can be finalized and sent to the state.
The auditor's office is hosting in-person events for informal property reviews from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. for the next three weeks, starting Monday.
Whatever the assessed value is, is what will be used for taxes starting in January 2025.
Moline said property values and tax rates are not an apples to apples comparison. Older levy tax rates might decrease.
"We know that levies new and replacement levies are likely going to increase your taxes because that's new funding," Moline said. "Always being cognizant of that when you're evaluating how you vote."
There are four county-wide levies on the November ballot, and 13 others for specific townships, cities and school districts.
To see your property's value and use a levy estimator tool, click here.