County auditor set to begin 2025 reappraisal of properties

Carroll County Auditor Lynn Fairclough is beginning the process of a state mandated (ORC 5713.01 (B)) reappraisal of all properties.
The reappraisal is approximately a two-year process with new values being established for tax year 2025, payable in 2026. Beginning in August 2023 and running through the end of 2025 appraisers will compare the 2021 aerial imagery to the 2023 aerial imagery to identify any new additions and demolitions.
Individuals will be working on behalf of the auditor’s office, but are employed by John G. Cleminshaw, Inc. If they are unable to determine the specifics of the addition or demolition through the imagery, they will perform a physical inspection of the property. They will have identification provided by the auditor’s office. They will knock on the door and, if no one is home, leave a door hanger. They will never go inside a home, but they may take pictures while they are there.
The county will update the property records based on the information provided from the appraisers. Then, using computer software, compare the property land and improvements and establish the tax year 2025 valuations. With real estate sales still on the rise, this could likely mean property owners will see an increase.
The 2025 Property Reappraisal will result in an updated valuation of your property. In the fall of 2025, property owners will receive a value change notification of the auditor’s tentative value. While a property owner may contest their home’s appraised value through the Board of Revision, they can also request an informal meeting. Many questions and concerns can be addresses through an informal meeting. Appointments will be available after the value change notifications are mailed.
Reappraisals create equality among property owners and classes of property. For taxation purposes, owners are assessed at 35% of fair market value. The auditor does not control tax rates. The Ohio Department of Taxation determines tax rates. Tax relief is available through various programs, including Homestead, Current Agricultural Use Value and Forestry.
Most property value increases don’t actually result in much higher overall taxes collected by local governments. Voter-approved levies, which are common across all of Ohio, allow local governments to fund necessary services or to borrow money to invest in infrastructure and improvements. Property taxes are calculated using 35% of the full market value of property multiplied by the effective rate of all the levies that apply to that property. When values go up, the effective rate generally goes down to maintain the same amount of taxes collected.