The Summit County Fiscal Office will begin mailing real estate tax bills Thursday after adjusting property values through the 2020 reappraisal process.
The bills are due Feb. 26, regardless of whether property owners intend to contest the new values. If not paid on time, a 10{911ea05452e114f1778c76ca86733b6032c246f8f651bb1f01d12abf04b54efb} late fee will be assessed for all but active duty military.
Property owners can pay online at https://bit.ly/2M8XmKd or by phone by calling 1-800-272-9829 and entering jurisdiction code 4596 when prompted. Small fees, including $1 for e-checks, apply.
Fiscal Officer Kristen Scalise encouraged online or phone payments with the United States Postal Service behind on deliveries. Anyone mailing a check to the Summit County Fiscal Office at 175 S. Main St., Akron, OH 44308 should ensure a postmark by Feb. 26 to avoid the late fee. Payments also can be placed in a secure drop box on the fourth floor of the Ohio Building from 7:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. weekdays.
Payment also will be accepted at any participating bank listed on the tax bill.
For questions, call the fiscal office at 330-643-2641. If you haven’t received your tax bill in the next couple weeks, call 330-643-2588 to request another copy. If unable to pay, call 330-643-2869 to apply by Feb. 26 for a payment plan. Property owners who are already behind should call 330-643-2600.
These real estate tax bill covering the first half of 2020 posted on the fiscal office’s website earlier this month. To view your bill, search your name or address at https://bit.ly/391aQRh then select “TAX BILL(PDF)” from the menu on the left. An annotated explanation of how to read the tax bill is at https://bit.ly/3sFx9U9.
Anyone who disagrees with the new value of a property can file a complaint with the Board of Revision by March 31. In February, the board will begin to schedule hearings. But the first hearing will not take place until April and the last will not be heard until after the second half 2020 bills come due later this year.
If successful in challenging a property value, property owners will receive a credit on their next tax bill. But until the hearing is concluded, the property owner must pay the tax bills to avoid penalties.
Scalise has said that the volume of complaints is expected to be higher this year as property values increased dramatically for many residents, largely due to strong home sales and the Ohio tax commissioner pushing county reapparisers to consider only 2019 sales instead of those in 2017 and 2018 when the market wasn’t as hot.
Property value complaint forms, which must be signed, dated, postmarked by March 31 and mailed to the fiscal office, can be requested by phone at 330- 926-2559 or 330-643-2636, by email at [email protected] or by visiting https://FiscalOffice.summitoh.net.
Reach reporter Doug Livingston at [email protected] or 330-996-3792.
