Every property owner in Worthington will soon get a letter from the Franklin County Auditor's Office with a new, tentative value for their home. A representative from that office came to City Council on June 8 to explain what the numbers mean and what they don't.
The presentation was informational, with no vote. But it carried real stakes for residents: the values arriving in mailboxes this month feed into the property-tax bills owners will start paying in January 2027. Joe Gilligan, the auditor's office Director of Policy and Strategic Initiatives, and a Worthington resident himself, walked council through the 2026 triennial property value update, the timeline for checking and contesting values, and the single point he returned to most: a rising value does not automatically mean a rising tax bill.
What the update is, and how it differs from a full reappraisal
Ohio law requires county auditors to refresh the value of every property on a six-year cycle, with a lighter-touch update at the three-year midpoint. Worthington is at that midpoint now. The last full reappraisal, in 2023, included a visual inspection of properties. This year's update does not, Gilligan said. Instead, it relies on a study of "arm's length" sales, open-market deals between independent buyers and sellers, that closed between 2023 and 2025. Sales that don't reflect fair market value, such as a property transferred between family members for a token amount, are excluded from the analysis.
The Ohio Department of Taxation makes the final call on whether the auditor's updated values are accurate and acceptable. The county received that approval last week, Gilligan said, clearing the office to mail tentative values to property owners.
The numbers: about 7 percent in Worthington
Countywide, residential values are rising about 10 percent on average in this update, Gilligan said. For the Worthington School District, the average increase is about 7 percent. He stressed that the figure is an average, not a forecast for any one home: "There will be some Worthingtonians that are above that and some that are below that."
He drew a sharp contrast with 2023, when a full reappraisal in a hot market produced "historic" increases averaging around 40 percent on residential property. This year's smaller change reflects both the different process and a cooler market.
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How to check your value, and how to contest it
Owners have already received a postcard from the auditor's office signaling that tentative values are on the way, Gilligan said. The values themselves arrive by mail "in the next few days." Starting the day after the meeting, June 9, owners can also look up their tentative value online through the auditor's "Know Your Home Value" website, searching by name or address.
If a value looks wrong, there are two distinct paths, and Gilligan was careful to separate them:
- The informal review, July through September. Owners who believe their tentative value is inaccurate can schedule a session — virtual, by phone, or in person — with a member of the auditor's appraisal team. Owners should bring documentation that supports a different value: photos, construction records, or corrections to the property's record, such as the listed number of bedrooms or bathrooms. Owners who go through this review will receive their final values by mail in December 2026.
- The Board of Revision. This formal process runs from late 2026 through March 2027, for owners who want to pursue a more formal challenge.
A council member asked whether the office could hold a review session closer to Worthington this time, noting that in 2023 the nearest sessions were not especially convenient and that the city has a significant senior population. Gilligan said the locations are chosen with care but that a county as large as Franklin can't put a session in every neighborhood, and he pointed to the virtual option for residents who are comfortable online. He offered to "take it back and see what we can do." A council member also asked about bringing back a well-attended in-person educational event like one held at the old Worthington library in 2023, and Gilligan said the office would be glad to participate in something local.
Why a higher value may not mean a higher bill
The point Gilligan worked hardest to land was that values and taxes do not move in lockstep. Asked whether the update will raise taxes, his answer was, in effect, maybe. "Values can go up and taxes can go down. Values can go down and taxes can go up, or vice versa," he said. It depends on the taxing district.
The reason is that most of a property-tax bill is set not by the auditor but at the ballot box, through the levies voters approve to fund schools and services. The auditor's job is to provide accurate assessments; the bigger driver of whether a bill rises is whether new levies pass, Gilligan said. He also pointed to House Bill 920, the Ohio law that limits how much the tax from an existing voted levy can grow when property values rise. A council member noted that many residents don't know about it and find it reassuring once explained.
The conversation turned to residents who could struggle regardless, particularly seniors on fixed incomes. Gilligan said relief options are "somewhat limited" right now. A county property-tax assistance program run through the prosecutor's office has been paused over statutory concerns, he said, and recent state relief is aimed at school districts sitting at the so-called "20-mill floor," which most Franklin County districts, including the relevant ones locally, are not. The office has instead been pressing the legislature to expand the homestead exemption for older homeowners, whose income-eligibility thresholds Gilligan described as "woefully inadequate." He described seniors forced to choose between a property-tax bill and medicine or food, and said the office would work with partners such as the area agency on aging "to see what we can do."
Paying the bill, and a note on which office is which
Two practical reminders surfaced in the discussion. First, property taxes are paid to the county treasurer, not the auditor, a distinction Gilligan made more than once, directing owners with payment questions to the treasurer's website. Second, council noted the second-half property-tax payment for the current year is due July 20. Taxes calculated on the new values won't be paid until January 2027.
The maps and figures Gilligan handed council were organized by "delineated appraisal neighborhoods," an appraisal tool that groups homes of similar age, size, and characteristics rather than by the neighborhoods residents recognize, and that may include areas outside Worthington's city limits that fall within the school district. A council member cautioned that the groupings could confuse residents comparing median values, since some nearby areas with Worthington mailing addresses are not in the city proper.
Questions
Residents with questions about the update, their tentative value, or the review process can reach the Franklin County Auditor's Office by phone or email; the office said it responds quickly and will help straighten out payment questions even though those ultimately route to the treasurer.
Phone: 614-525-HOME (4663)
Email: AuditorStanziano@franklincountyohio.gov
Website: Know Your Home Value