MEDINA COUNTY, OHIO – Medina County Treasurer John Burke is reminding taxpayers that March 31, 2017 is the last day to file an appeal to change your property values for the current tax bills with the Board of Revision (BOR). The tax bills that were sent out this year included new 2016 updated reappraisal values placed on your property by the County Auditor. Ohio Law requires the reappraisal of all property once every six years with an update three years after.

The new 2016 property values are based on an analysis of the prior three years’ sales trends and applied on a percentage basis by neighborhood and taxing district. Burke said “The average property value increased approximately 9% for residential homes and 5% for commercial properties. If you feel your new property value is too high, you can appeal it by completing a Board of Revision complaint form. But, preparing takes some time, so I suggest you begin now if you wish to appeal.” 

The Board of Revision is made up of the County Auditor, County Treasurer and one County Commissioner or their designated representatives. The three BOR members hear complaints filed by taxpayers and make the decisions on any change to property values. 

Treasurer Burke has been on the Board of Revision for 22 years and provided some tips for taxpayers who may want to file a complaint form.

Sometimes taxpayers ask him how they can tell if their property value is correct or fair. Burke recommends you look at the “total 100% appraised value” established by the County Auditor and ask yourself the following question: “Could I sell my house for the total property value that has been set by the Auditor?” If your answer is yes or you think you could sell it for more, then you should be satisfied with your new updated value. If your answer is no, you can look for comparable sales and appeal your value to the Medina County Board of Revision. 

“It is important that you provide evidence that indicates the true value of your home or property. The best evidence is comparable sales or transfers that have occurred close to January 1 of the tax year 2016,” he noted. 

Ohio law requires the County Auditor to appraise property values based on the estimated fair market value. Burke clarified that the fair market value is the price that your property would be expected to sell for on the open market between an “informed and willing” buyer and seller.

Burke noted the burden of proof lies with the complainant to establish market value. “Remember that your evidence presented to the BOR must pertain to the property value not the taxes or tax rates.” 

A private appraiser can determine the market value but there is normally a fee for this service. Another approach is the market comparison in which the taxpayer researches property transfers or sales of homes over the past few years that are similar to their house. These are comparable sales and a simple way to compare values is to first calculate the price per square foot by dividing the sales price with the total square footage of living space. The taxpayer can then take the County Auditor’s appraised value of their property and divide it by the total square footage and compare it. 

Burke said, “I encourage taxpayers who file a BOR appeal to find 3 or 4 properties that have been sold for a square foot price less than the square foot price of their home.” The BOR rules state that the Auditor may present similar comparable sale values at the BOR hearing. The taxpayer can ask up to 10 days in advance of the hearing date for the Auditor’s comparable sales to review them before the hearing.

Taxpayers can obtain a BOR complaint form at the County Auditor’s Office in the County Administration Building 144 N. Broadway Street in Medina or by downloading the form (DTE Form 1) online at the Auditor’s website. Complete the form, have it notarized and deliver it to the Auditor by March 31, 2017. If mailing it in make sure it is post marked by March 31st. You will be notified of a hearing date.

The Treasurer’s office can be reached by calling 330-725-9748, sending an email to [email protected] or by stopping by the office in the County Administration Building.

​MEDINA COUNTY, OHIO – Medina County Treasurer John Burke wants to help taxpayers make sure they pay their property taxes on time to avoid penalties.  An insert was put in the in the first half tax bills asking taxpayers to provide current contact information such as cell phones and email addresses so that the Treasurer’s Office can contact them about important tax update information.
 
The Treasurer’s Office provides a free service of reminding taxpayers who have not paid their taxes by the last week of collection of the tax payment due date. Treasurer Burke explained,” We run a report 5 days before the due date to see who has not yet paid their taxes and automatically call them with a friendly reminder message about the due date. Last year my office called 11,836 taxpayers, helping them to avoid a penalty.”
 
Burke said he believes Medina County is the only county in Ohio providing this type of customer service. “Each time we make those reminder calls, I will have some homeowner thank me for the reminder to pay taxes on time; it can usually save the taxpayer several hundred dollars in late penalty fees.” By Ohio Revised Code any late payment after the due date has a maximum penalty of 10% placed on the parcel by the County Auditor.
 
The Treasurer’s office has maintained a phone number database linked with taxpayers’ parcel numbers for several years. But a growing problem has been County residents who have canceled their land-based home phone numbers and are using cellphone numbers instead. “Our phone number database has shrunk 25% in the last few years from about 47,000 phone numbers to 35,000,” Burke said.
 
Cellphones are not public like home phone numbers, and therefore the Treasurer’s Office makes a concerted effort to obtain current phone numbers from taxpayers. The Treasurer is also requesting email addresses to send information to taxpayers. “We would like to be able to send pertinent tax information to homeowners directly and quickly by phone and/or email,” Burke noted. The Treasurer explained that this contact information is used only by his office for important tax information. “For example we would like taxpayers to know when tax bills have been mailed, if there is any issue with their tax bill or payment, and procedure or law changes that would immediately affect their tax bill.”
 
Treasurer Burke said there are several ways for taxpayers to update contact information. First is using the County Treasurer website at medinacountytreasurer.com and clicking the link under “Subscribe to Our Email List” on the homepage. Taxpayers can also call the Treasurer’s Office at 330-725-9748 or send the information by mail to John Burke, Medina County Treasurer, 144 N. Broadway Street, Medina Ohio 44256.

MEDINA COUNTY, OHIO – With the due date of February 10th for real estate tax bills looming, Medina County Treasurer John Burke wants to remind taxpayers of last minute options for paying their taxes.
 
Online tax payments are easy, safe, fast and convenient. Just go online to the Treasurer’s website at medinacountytreasurer.com and click “Search and Pay Taxes” in the left column to find your tax bill amount and payment options.
 
There are several online tax payment options to choose from. You can pay using an e-check (electronic check) which allows the homeowner to pay directly from their bank account anytime 24 hours a day, seven days a week. There is a $0.50 fee paid to the vendor for using this option.
 
Taxpayers can also use their PayPal account or credit card. A fee of 2.25% is charged by the vendor for these options and the County does not receive any of the fees charged. MasterCard, Visa, Discover and American Express credit cards are accepted online. To pay with a credit card by phone call 888-607-8389. American Express is not accepted over the phone. 
 
There is also an option with PayPal that allows the tax bill amount to be paid on “PayPal credit.” There are no payments or interest charges if you pay it off in full within 6 months. The normal 2.25% fee does apply to using this option.  “I have seen many taxpayers use this option to get extra time to pay and avoid missing the due date and getting a late penalty charge of 10%,” said Burke.
 
Of course, taxpayers can always make their tax payments in person at the Treasurer’s Office at 144 N. Broadway Street in Medina. As a convenience Burke said his normal hours of 8:30 am to 4:30 pm on weekdays are being extended on the due date of Friday, February 10th to 6:00 pm. There are also four drop boxes for tax payments located around the county – in Medina at the County Administration Building and at the Wadsworth Municipal Building, Brunswick City Hall and Lodi Library. Burke reminds taxpayers that only check payments are to be made using drop boxes (no cash) and remember to include your tax bill stub.
 
Any payments made by mail must be postmarked by the due date. “I always suggest that taxpayers who mail their tax payment on the last day walk it into the post office and make sure it is postmarked by that due date to avoid any late penalty fee,” said Burke. Taxpayers who are assessed a late penalty fee by the Auditor, may be able to get it removed by filing a Remission of Penalty form which can be obtained at the Treasurer’s Office.
 
If you have any questions about your tax bill you may call the Treasurer’s Office at 330-725-9748. You may also view your tax balance due, look up your tax payments or print a receipt online at our website, medinacountytreasurer.com. While on the website, you are also encouraged to join the Treasurer’s email list so that you can receive important due date reminders and other information regarding your tax bill online.