Action Alert from LWVO
Ohio lawmakers to try overriding three of Governor DeWine's vetoes
[Earlier this month,] Governor DeWine vetoed 67 provisions in Ohio’s 2026-27 main operating budget— many of those line-item vetoes were the direct result of the emails and calls directed to his office by democracy heroes like you.
But now, lawmakers in the General Assembly have scheduled a July 21 session to try to override three of these vetoes, and we need your help to stop them!
These three budget provisions have something in common: each one is a poorly thought out attempt to fix Ohio’s property tax crisis. But not only would they do nothing to help property owners, they would prevent local communities from solving their own problems by taking funding and local decision-making power away from them. Here’s what Ohio lawmakers are being asked to restore to the budget:
Veto #55: This law would grant county commissioners new authority to reduce a levy passed by voters for a school district or other taxing authority. (This would allow politicians to go against the will of the majority of voters when they vote in favor of a levy to support their community: it undermines basic democratic principles of honoring voter choice.)
Veto #65: This law would change how the tax rate gets calculated in a way that would result in schools getting a lower guarantee of tax revenue. (This would automatically cut funding for all school districts across the state: it would be devastating to every community in Ohio.)
Veto #66: This law would take away local authority to decide what kind of property tax levies work best in their communities. (This eliminates home rule and prevents voters from having a say if an emergency in their community demands a new tax levy: it would hurt school districts, emergency responders, libraries, and other local authorities who should be able to decide whether or not to put a levy on the ballot. )
Ohio needs real property tax reform, not more bad laws that take power away local communities and cut more funding for schools.
