When will you learn your latest Summit County property tax rate? Answers arriving soon

With Summit County homeowners bracing for property values to increase by an average of 31.4% countywide, a mix of dread and inevitability has settled in as they await the year's first tax bill.

For those frustrated with the wait for the new rates to roll out, the Summit County Fiscal Office is urging patience — that information is being finalized and should become available soon.

While tax rates were originally scheduled to be released by the end of 2023, the Summit County Fiscal Office is working vigorously to complete the calculations for more than 260,000 parcels, said Mike Migden, the assistant chief of staff.

Here is what the fiscal office has to say about the rising property valuations, the timetable for their release and more.

When will the new rates be released?

The new property tax rates for 2023 should be released within a week or two, Migden said.

"We just received the tax rates from the state of Ohio, and we are working on entering and verifying those rates — and running our tax calculation programs based off those rates we received from the state," Migden said. "Once that is finished, we will focus on tax bills and mailing those out.

"We're getting close to having the figures ready and bills generated here shortly," Migden said.

The tentative due date to pay those property tax bills for the first half of 2023 is still to be determined, but it could be set for late February or pushed back even further, he said. The second installment will be due sometime in July.

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Whom does the fiscal office notify about new rates?

Tax bills are mailed to those who own property outright or lenders responsible for financing property purchases, so if your home is under mortgage, it's most likely you will not receive direct notification from Summit County about your new tax rate, and the new rates will be figured into your mortgage payments.

If you do not receive direct mailings from the county, you will still be able to look up your updated property tax information through the Summit County Fiscal Office's website once the tax rates are updated in the coming weeks.

Why are property values rising countywide?

The state of Ohio mandates that appraisals of property valuations are conducted every three years. While the Ohio Department of Taxation mandated counties across the state to increase property values by as much as 43%, the state accepted Summit County's proposed lower value abstract of 31.4%.

What is the appeal process?

Property owners can dispute their property's increased valuation through April 1 by contacting the Summit County Board of Revision. Once a complaint is filed, the board will schedule a hearing to review all of the submitted evidence and make a decision. The types of evidence required for a value change include a private appraisal, evidence of property damage as well as a comparative market analysis done by a realtor.

This evidence needs to be submitted 10 days prior to the hearing.

Reporter Anthony Thompson can be reached at ajthompson@gannett.com, or on Twitter @athompsonABJ

This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Summit County prepares to release property tax rates for 2023