SIDNEY — Every three years state law requires the county auditor to research all of the parcels that sold in the last three years and determine how the selling prices compare to the values on record. Those sales are used as a yardstick to determine how the property values are trending in each neighborhood. The Ohio Department of Taxation requires the county to use this sales data to update the property values to be 90-110% of the current market value.

“In Shelby County, the Auditor’s Office strives to adjust neighborhoods to 90-93% of their true value in order to keep taxes as low as possible,” said County Auditor Amy Berning.

Real estate taxes are calculated based on all of the levies the voters in your tax district have approved, along with 10 mills established in the law to support your local school, township and/or village, and county departments. “Your district’s mills x only 35% of your property value” is the calculation used to determine your gross property taxes, and then some credits are subtracted from that to reach your net bill.

“County Treasurer John Coffield and I spoke with all of the Shelby County school treasurers as well as most of the superintendents to work on reducing some of the millage they normally collect in an effort to hold down the tax increase for their residents,” said Berning. “They were all very cooperative and each presented their plan for the best way to save their taxpayers money.”

Some school districts were able to reduce the mills they will be collecting in 2024, while others are very close to paying off a bond levy which will cause some mills to fall off the real estate tax bills completely in just a year or two.

“I want to commend all of the county schools for their willingness to work with the budget commission as we searched for every possible way to offset some of the upcoming tax increase,” said Berning.

While you may be surprised to find out how much your property has increased in value, the tax calculation makes adjustments for many of the levies to hold them to collecting only the amount of money they were originally voted to receive. Not all levies are eligible for that adjustment, though, which is part of the reason increases were seen on this year’s tax bill.

To review your updated property value as well as your real estate tax, you can go to the Shelby County Auditor’s website and select “Start an Online Property Records Search”. Choose the “Search” option at the top of the page to pull up your property information. There are several tabs with information for you to browse including “Levy Distribution” which will show you exactly where your tax dollars are being distributed! To see where your additional tax dollars went, you can compare the amount you paid to each entity (school, ambulance, township, etc) last year vs. this year. Choose which year you would like to view by clicking on the dropdown “year” box on the top-left area of the property record screen.

If you or your spouse turns 65 years old or older this year, be sure to check with our office to see if you qualify for the Homestead Exemption. Most retired people meet the income condition because it references the Ohio Adjusted Gross income which does not include social security income. To qualify in 2024, your 2023 Ohio Adjusted Gross (plus Ohio Schedule A, line 11 business income which is uncommon) must be below $38,600, you must own and occupy your house as your primary residence, and you must turn age 65 or older in 2024.

“There is a short application on the Auditor’s website or in our office which we are happy to assist you with!” said Berning.

If approved, $26,200 of property value becomes completely exempt from real estate taxes. The resulting savings will depend on the mills for your district, but it ranges from $295 to $442 in tax savings. To see if you are already receiving the Homestead Exemption, you can look at your summary on the Auditor’s website. If the Homestead line says (Y), you are already signed up.

If you have any questions, feel free to email or call the Auditor’s Office at [email protected] or 937-498-7202.