The Miami County Budget Commission Stands Up For Taxpayers
Vol. III, No. 178 - in the face of rising property taxes, some communities fight to save inside millage
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The Miami County Budget Commission held a meeting last Friday that brought together key county officials and municipal leaders for a public comment session focusing on property tax relief. Both Matt Gearhart, County Auditor, and Jim Stubbs, County Treasurer, hosted the Director of Public Service and Safety from Troy, Tipp City’s Finance Director, and the City Manager from Piqua. The central issue discussed was the commission’s earlier correspondence encouraging cities to adopt resolutions to roll back inside property tax rates, a response to a sharp 28% increase in average county property values over the last year. This rapid rise would otherwise trigger substantial jumps in inside millage tax bills for local residents.
At the start of the meeting, Matt Gearhart, who is also chair of the County Budget Commission, provided ample opportunity for municipal leaders to share their concerns and perspectives about the suggested rollbacks. Gearhart reminded attendees of the recent action taken by the Board of County Commissioners earlier in November, where they voted to reduce the county’s inside millage, resulting in the county voluntarily forgoing over $2 million in expected tax revenues. This move allowed taxpayers to keep more of their income while the county government absorbed the loss.
The Budget Commission expressed its hope that municipalities would follow suit to ensure that local taxpayers benefit from the increased assessed property values rather than seeing higher tax bills. Several communities—including Bradford, the Miami East School District, and Pleasant Hill—have already taken up the commission’s request by formally adopting measures to reduce their own property tax rates, with Pleasant Hill even dropping its rate to zero.
Troy’s Director of Public Service and Safety presented a clear case for the city’s concerns. He explained how rolling back the inside millage rate from 2.5 mills to 2.01 mills would mean the city collects about $464,000 less in property taxes this year, though the city could still retain roughly $1.9 million in revenues. He noted that such a cut, alongside possible future reductions, could present difficult fiscal challenges for Troy, complicating the city’s ability to fund upcoming projects and maintain financial reserves. According to the director, two major projects currently in the pipeline could deplete growing reserves and make current financial gains only temporary. He pointed out that the city’s policy of maintaining a minimum of six months is at risk — and that has been a policy that this publication has stated that the City Council should revisit.
Auditor Gearhart countered these arguments by citing the city’s financial health. Over the past five years, Troy’s general fund unencumbered balance has climbed from $11 million to $30 million, suggesting the city is “in pretty good shape,” even in light of the current challenges. The Budget Commission did not appear persuaded by the suggestion that these revenue losses would jeopardize core services or stability. Instead, it focused on balancing stewardship of taxpayer dollars against the needs of public entities, reinforcing that the rollback represented responsible, people-focused governance.
The meeting marked one of the most thorough public discussions of municipal finances in Miami County in recent memory; these discussions in the past have generally been staff-led discussions and having a more open dialouge with county officials gave unique insights into the larger discussion of how tax dollars best serve the public.
The County Budget Commission continues to urge municipalities to show support for their residents by passing resolutions that back this approach to property tax relief. While not all communities may agree, the commission’s stance is clear: maintain efficient government and adapt fiscal policies to not only reflect community priorities, but more importantly, protect the taxpayer.
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