(Plain Press, November 2018)        In late August, Citizens United for Tax Fairness (CUTF) held a public meeting to address what many homeowners felt were unfair appraisals of their properties by Cuyahoga County. CUTF also hoped that Cuyahoga County officials attending the meeting could address confusing information about how homeowners could challenge their property tax evaluations.

   CUTF organizer, Mary Rose Oakar, says the confusing letter from Cuyahoga County resulted in some people believing they needed a formal appraisal to challenge the County’s appraisal. At the meeting, residents learned that was not necessary, but other means could be used.

   Oakar says that the latest figures she received from Cuyahoga County are that out of the roughly 489,000 households in Cuyahoga County about 35,000 households challenged their property tax evaluations in hopes the County would revise the initial appraisal. Oakar says Cuyahoga County plans to be finished evaluating and responding to the challenges by November 16^th. 

   If homeowners are not satisfied with Cuyahoga County’s ruling on their challenge to their property tax evaluation, the next step would be to challenge the property tax evaluation at the Cuyahoga County Board of Revision.

   Oakar says CUTF hopes to hold another meeting in late November or early December to have Cuyahoga County officials explain how to mount a challenge at the Board of Revisions. Oakar said Cuyahoga county Chief Fiscal Officer Dennis Kennedy has already agreed to the meeting.