Sticker Shock: Property Tax Amounts Rolled Out for 2026

Vol. III, No. 218 - Some property tax bills jump as much as 30% across Miami County

Miami County property owners are confronting an uncomfortable reality in 2026: even with reduced tax rates, most will pay more. The latest property tax bills, released on the county auditor’s website, confirm that the substantial value increases from the 2025 sexennial reappraisal are finding their way into household budgets in the form of higher taxes. You can check your own property here:

A small analysis of ten residential parcels across Troy, Piqua, Tipp City, Pleasant Hill, Covington, and Huber Heights shows the mixed, but largely upward, effect. In Troy, a home on East Main Street saw a 48% surge in its assessed property value and a 35% tax increase. Across town, a property on Crossbow Lane climbed 17% in value and faced a 8% tax hike. A Covent Drive home rose 39% in valuation and 26% in taxes. In contrast, a more moderate 12% rise on Murphy Lane East resulted in only a 2% increase.

Elsewhere around the county, the trend continues. In Piqua, a property on South Downing Street saw a startling 71% valuation jump and a 23% tax rise, while a Colleen Drive home rose 13% in value but actually saw taxes fall by 3%. In Pleasant Hill, where last year’s reappraisal showed eye-popping value growth, one Church Street home posted a 25% valuation climb and a 15% tax increase. Other locations tell similar stories: Covington’s Spring Street homes increased 27% in value and 11% in taxes, while a Tipp City property on South Third Street saw a modest 17% rise in value paired with a 1% tax bump.

These fluctuations occurred even after the Miami County Budget Commission took the unusual step of reducing inside millage rates on all properties. Tax rates in Troy were rolled back from 41.8 mills to 38.1, and Piqua’s rates fell from 46.5 to 39.9. The reductions, however, could not fully counteract the effect of ballooning assessed values.

This tension highlights a central feature of Ohio’s property tax system—House Bill 920. Enacted in the 1970s, the law ensures that when property values rise due to reappraisal, many voted levies automatically adjust downward to keep overall revenue stable. But House Bill 920 does not affect inside millage or new levies passed since the last reappraisal. As property values rise rapidly, the intended “tax shock absorber” only goes so far. The result is what many Miami County residents are now experiencing: lower nominal rates, yet higher real bills.

This publication talked about the reappraisal analysis and warned of this dynamic, showing average value gains exceeding 32% countywide. The law of large numbers has now taken over—when nearly every property rises significantly, local tax collections must rise as well to sustain service levels demanded by communities.

These growing bills arrive amid an increasingly turbulent statewide debate over property tax reform. Lawmakers in Columbus are weighing both modest adjustments to assessment practices and more broad proposals to overhaul the entire system. Meanwhile, a citizens’ initiative to abolish property taxes may still qualify for the 2026 ballot.

So while reappraisals may simply reflect market reality, their fallout reaches far beyond paper valuations. For our residents, they have become a test of how our governments balance fiscal responsibility, taxpayer fairness, and community investment in a rapidly changing time.

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