Senate Undermines Schools and Local Governments: Antonio Votes Against Veto Override

Today, Senate Democratic Leader Nickie J. Antonio (D-Lakewood) issued a statement following Ohio Senate Republicans’ vote to override Governor DeWine’s veto of a provision of the state’s operating budget that punishes local school districts and communities under the guise of property tax relief.

“This move guts the ability of communities to fund critical services like schools, fire departments, and libraries, all while pretending to be about property tax relief,” said Antonio. “In reality, this shifts responsibility for the legislature to pass meaningful property tax reform onto the backs of local taxpayers.”

The provision that Senate Democrats voted against strips local governments of the power to determine which types of property tax levies best suit their community. This limits the ways in which voters can decide how to raise funds for services like schools, fire departments, and libraries.

Senate Democrats have continued to propose actual property tax relief policies, including a property tax circuit breaker, an expansion of the homestead exemption, and freezing property taxes for qualifying homeowners 65 years old and older.