MEDINA COUNTY, OHIO – Medina County Treasurer John Burke has announced Medina County property owners should be aware of several changes that could affect their 1st half property tax bill and method of payment. 

If you mail your property tax payment by United States Postal Service, be aware that there is a new USPS rule as of December 2025. The USPS has limited mail pick-ups to once a day and will postmark mail at the regional Post Offices. That means a postmark date may not reflect when the mailed piece was placed in the mail.

“We rely on the postmark to verify if tax payments are mailed by the due date, so this change by the USPS could cause taxpayers who mail their payment on the due date of February 27th to be late. We recommend taxpayers should consider mailing payments early or walking into your local Post Office retail counter and ask them to hand-stamp the postmark that same day,” Burke said.

Burke reflected that many government offices have the same postmark concerns, such as the County Board of Revision (BOR) which hears property owner appeals on their property value. BOR application forms must be postmarked or physically in the County Auditor’s Office by the deadline of March 31st.

Other alternative ways to pay property taxes include online at the County Treasurer website at www.medinacountytreasurer.com,  by phone at 1.888.607.8389, or in person at the Treasurer’s Office. There are also 24-hour drop boxes at the Treasurer’s Office, Brunswick City Hall, Wadsworth City Hall and Lodi Library.
 
Treasurer Burke also noted that in December 2025, the Ohio Legislature enacted changes affecting property taxes. Only one of these changes affect the 1st half property taxes that were recently mailed. Taxpayers qualified for Homestead exemption will see their tax reduction doubled. This will affect approximately 11,500 homeowners out of 67,700 in Medina County.
 
Treasurer Burke said that the amount of the homestead tax reduction will vary for each qualified homeowner according to their taxing district’s millage rate. “For example, I checked two different tax districts, and the tax reduction was $354 in one township and $504 in the other township,” said Burke. This additional tax reduction will show on taxpayer’s bill as a separate line item called Local Homestead Reduction. 
 
To qualify for Homestead Exemption, you must own and occupy your home; be a senior 65 years or older; or permanently and totally disable; veteran or spouse of a first responder killed in the line of duty, with Ohio adjustable income of $41,000 or less. Taxpayers interest in additional information or for a homestead application should contact Medina County Auditor Anthony Capretta’s Office 330-725-9754.

MEDINA COUNTY, OHIO – Medina County Treasurer John Burke has announced that 78,728 first half 2025 property tax bills have been mailed to county property owners. The official payment due date for these tax bills is February 27, 2026. Treasurer Burke noted that the total amount of real estate taxes billed for the full year is $412,675,472.

If taxpayers do not receive a tax bill in the mail, Treasurer Burke recommends calling his office at 330.725.9748 or accessing the Treasurer’s website (not the Auditor’s Website) at www.medinacountytreasurer.com to look up their tax bill. Just click “Search and Pay Taxes” in the left column to find the proper tax bill amount. Taxpayers can then print an official tax bill for paying by mail or in person. 

Payments may be made in person at the Treasurer’s office at 144 N. Broadway, Medina, from 8:00am to 4:30pm, Monday through Friday. The office will be open until 6:00pm on the February 27th due date. You will need to present your entire tax bill at time of payment. Checks, cash, or credit cards are accepted over the counter. 

Tax payments which are mailed MUST be postmarked no later than February 27th due date to avoid a 5% penalty; payments made after March 9th will be assessed a 10% penalty.

Taxpayers can also make payments online and then print a receipt at www.medinacountytreasurer.com. Treasurer Burke noted “online tax payments are easy, safe, fast and convenient and we provide a variety of online payment options.” Taxpayers can pay by electronic check ($1.50 fee), debit card (1.99% fee), credit cards - Visa, MasterCard, Discover, American Express – or PayPal account (2.5% fee). Taxpayers may pay by phone at 1.888.607.8389 using E-check and credit cards. The vendor fees charged for these options are paid directly to the vendors. Medina County does not receive any part of the fees. 

“In addition, through our website, PayPal Credit offers a “bill me later” option, which allows payment over 6 months with no interest charged. We have seen some taxpayers take advantage of this opportunity to gain extra time to pay. This option allows them to meet the due date and avoid a 10% late payment charge,” said Treasurer Burke. More information is available on the PayPal website. This option is subject to prior credit approval. Vendor charges of 2.5% apply. 

If you are paying by check, convenient 24-Hour Drive-Up Drop Boxes may be found at the following locations:
•    Treasurer’s Office, County Administration Building, 144 North Broadway Street, Medina
•    Brunswick City Hall, 4095 Center Road, Brunswick
•    Lodi Library, 635 Wooster Street, Lodi
•    Wadsworth Municipal Building, 120 Maple Street, Wadsworth
Make sure to include your tax bill stub with your check.

If you have any questions, please call the Medina County Treasurer’s office at 330.725.9748.

At the recent quarterly meeting of Medina County Investment Advisory Board, County Treasurer John Burke reported that last year interest income from the County’s investment portfolio hit $7.9 million. “That is the highest earning on record in the past 30 years,” said Burke. Treasurer Burke is chairman of the Investment Advisory Board which also includes the County Clerk of Courts and all three County Commissioners.
 
According to Treasurer Burke this extra money income from investments helps pay for county services and expenses. “In a time where the county’s cost of everything from wages and health care to road construction and bridge maintenance is increasing, this interest income helps to deliver on the county’s core commitment to provide necessary services to our growing county while keeping the quality of life high and our taxes low,” Burke said.
 
Burke credits the record high earnings to the use of sound fiscal conservative investment strategies. Since taking office Burke has made over $88 million from interest earnings for the County. “The annual County budget is $70 million, so the total investment interest earned over my tenure has provided enough extra money to run the County free for over one year.” Burke stated.
 
The Medina County Treasurer oversees the collection, deposit, and investment of an annual cash flow of $730 million. Burke explained that $412 million of that figure is from collection of real estate property taxes. The remaining $318 million is collected from all other county agencies which legally must deposit their money with the Treasurer within 24 hours of receiving it. The Treasurer is responsible for the safe investment of this money.
 
When asked how the money is invested, Burke explained that the Ohio Revised Code allows for investment in interest-bearing vehicles with a maturity limited to five years, but restricts investing in equities or stocks, because of the risk. “The size of our portfolio averages about $220 million on any given day which is invested in 100 to 120 different investments”, said Burke. Currently the portfolio is well balanced over a five-year majority with 45% in different US Agencies, 44% in US Treasury bills, 5% in commercial paper, 5% in municipal bonds and 1% in municipal bonds. 
 
Burke considers himself to be a conservative investor with the public’s money. His investment strategy has three basic goals: 1. Safety of principle. 2. Maintain liquidity. 3. Earn the highest yield possible. “We have always met these 3 goals and in these volatile economic times, I am proud to say that we have never lost any money from investments” reported Burke
 
“Education and experience investing public funds is a necessary part of being County Treasurer,” said Burke. The Ohio Revised Code requires Treasurers to complete 12 hours of continuing education each year as approved by the State of Ohio Auditor and Treasurer. Treasurer Burke has always met this requirement by attending professional conferences and seminars. He has received numerous advanced educational certifications from State and National organizations such as CTAO, IAGO, and NACTFO. Treasurer Burke has been honored as a recipient of Ohio’s Public Fund Manager of the Year Award by the State of Ohio Treasurer out of 3,500 public fund managers.