The Ohio Supreme Court ruled that Olentangy Local Schools cannot appeal property tax valuations on property it doesn't own or lease, a decision that affects school districts across the state.
The district argued that once state lawmakers stopped school districts from appealing valuations to the Ohio Board of Tax Appeals, it could still challenge them in county courts.
But in a 6-1 decision issued Friday, the court said that's not the case.
Writing for the majority, Justice Daniel Hawkins wrote that historically, a board of education could appeal a county board of revision's decisions regarding the valuation of real property for tax purposes in one of two ways: by filing with the Ohio Board of Tax Appeals or by filing an appeal with a county common pleas court if the school board owned the property itself.
But when Ohio legislators changed the law in 2022, that eliminated a school district's ability to appeal to a county court, Hawkins wrote.
In a dissenting opinion, Justice Jennifer Brunner wrote that if the Olentangy district can prove property owners should be paying more in taxes, state law still allows for challenges in county courts.
WOSU has reached out to the Olentangy district for comment.
