Treasurer TJ Cusick used his April 27 report to walk the Worthington Board of Education through three property-tax developments. None would change a homeowner's bill tomorrow, but Worthington families will hear about each of them in the coming weeks.
1. The county settlement is delayed again
Worthington Schools is still waiting on the final property-tax settlement from Franklin County. In a normal year, the district receives that final settlement in March. This year it was expected in April. The county auditor has now told the district that mid-June is the earliest the money is likely to arrive.
Cusick said two things are driving the delay: the property-tax due-date adjustments the county auditor made earlier this cycle, and lingering technical problems caused when the county treasurer and county auditor upgraded their computer systems and found the new systems had trouble communicating with each other.
The financial impact for Worthington Schools is twofold. The district loses interest income on the money during the delay. "Time is money," in Cusick's words. The bigger concern is timing: the district's fiscal year ends June 30. If the final settlement does not arrive in time, the district will face complications closing its books for the year.
2. Triennial reappraisal: ~9% projected, but tax rates will go down
Franklin County conducted a full reappraisal of property values in 2023, a process that happens every six years. At the three-year midpoint, the county does what's called a triennial update. That update is happening at the end of 2026.
Cusick reported that the Franklin County auditor's office, led by Auditor Michael Stinziano, has released preliminary reappraisal values for next year. Worthington's projected value increase is 9%, in the middle of the county-wide range of 8 to 10 percent, with some neighborhoods running higher.
Cusick was careful to flag the message he wants residents to hear: a 9% increase in property values does not mean a 9% increase in property taxes.
"Continue to remind all your neighbors that our tax rates will actually go down during this update cycle," he told the board. Ohio law caps how much voted millage can effectively grow with rising values. Inside millage, the small portion of a tax bill that historically did rise with valuations, is now capped at inflation under the state's most recent legislation. The result is that as values rise, rates fall to keep voted-tax revenue roughly steady.
Cusick acknowledged the system is hard to follow. "Ohio tax laws are complicated," he said. "But they do protect homeowners because of that complication."
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3. The ballot petition to eliminate property taxes
The third item: the statewide group seeking to put a constitutional amendment on the ballot to eliminate property taxes held a press conference earlier in the week of the meeting.
Per Cusick, the group reported it has not yet hit its signature threshold. Cusick estimated the campaign is "about three-quarters of the way there." Petition organizers have a July 1 deadline to gather the remaining signatures.
At the same time, both the governor's office and several state legislators and associations have raised concerns about how eliminating property taxes would affect local public services such as schools, libraries, police and fire, and parks. Cusick framed the choice in plain terms: eliminating property taxes would either shift the burden onto another form of tax (most likely income tax) or force significant cuts to local services.
"That's not just my opinion," Cusick said. "That's simple math."
He pointed out that Ohio's property-tax rate is high in part because the state's income tax rate is low, and because the legislature has consistently chosen to fund local services through property taxes. Local voters have approved those levies one by one.
Cusick said his goal is to keep reminding residents how the system was built as the petition drive plays out. "I hope everyone just tries to consume as much information in this area as possible," he said.
What residents should watch
- Mid-June: Whether the county delivers the final tax settlement in time for Worthington Schools to close its books on the June 30 fiscal year-end.
- July 1: Deadline for the property-tax-elimination petition to gather enough valid signatures to qualify for the ballot.
- Later in 2026: The triennial update takes effect, which means new property valuations will appear on tax bills. Residents who want to understand what their actual bill will look like, as opposed to what their valuation looks like, should watch for guidance from the county auditor and from the district.
Watch the full meeting video here, Cusick's report is approximately from 0:48:32 to 0:52:02.