Weekly Roundup | Are property taxes too darn high?

Last week’s state and national news cycles were dominated by politics. From the bizarro presidential debate to the over-active Ohio General Assembly, a lot went down. And you can stay abreast of all of it with our weekly Ohio Politics newsletter.

As editor of investigations at the Dayton Daily News, I’d like to talk about two in-depth stories our reporters produced that impact people with disabilities, and taxpayers.

Welcome to the Weekly Roundup, where we bring you the top stories from today’s Dayton Daily News and major stories from the past week you may have missed.

This week, that includes debate over a federal program that allows employers to pay developmentally disabled adults less than minimum wage and an analysis of tax increases in local communities following last year’s historic jumps in taxable property values.

Our mission is to help you understand what’s really going on in the Dayton region. This includes comprehensive coverage of local governments and agencies, hard-hitting investigations, and in-depth analyses of important issues.

Do you have a news tip or an issue you think our reporters should look into? Contact me at Josh.Sweigart@coxinc.com, or you can use our anonymous tipline.

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Ohio may end program that pays disabled people less than minimum wage

In Ohio, thousands of people with disabilities are employed under programs that legally pay them below the federal minimum wage — most being paid less than $3.50 an hour. Reporter Sydney Dawes took a look at this controversial program. Read her full report here.

• The program: The practice is legal under the U.S. Department of Labor’s 14(c) program. The program started in the 1930s to help disabled soldiers but today includes any adults with disabilities.

• Pennies on the dollar: A 2021 report by the U.S. Government Accountability Office found that most 14(c) workers earned less than $3.50 per hour, while about 14% earned at or above the federal minimum of $7.25.

• Local employers: Department of Labor data says thousands of Ohioans are in the program. Three local employers in Dayton, Springfield and Lebanon are among 48 participating agencies statewide. Most are non-profits.

• The debate: “This is a challenging topic,” said Pamela Combs, the superintendent of the Montgomery County Board of Developmental Disabilities Services. “We understand both points of view — that there are people who rightfully believe that everyone should be paid at least a minimum wage for their work. But then on the other hand, we do have our families and those that we serve who believe that employers will not employ people with developmental disabilities if they cannot meet competitive expectations.”

• The future: The Department of Labor is reviewing whether to discontinue the program, and several states have already banned the practice. State legislation backed by a Warren County lawmaker would phase out the program over five years in Ohio.

Analysis: Local property taxes up 28% for some, down for others

After a historic increase in taxable property values following last year’s post-pandemic reappraisal, we wanted to know how much people’s actual property taxes increased. We had contributing writer Denise Callahan tackle that analysis as part of her special coverage on property taxes.

• What she found: Read the full analysis here, including a list of every community in Montgomery and Greene counties and how much their average values and taxes changed this year.

• Biggest increase: Miami Twp. taxpayers in the Yellow Springs school district saw the biggest hike. They were one of two Greene County communities with average tax increases over 20%.

• Biggest decrease: While their values went up, Dayton residents are in one of two communities whose average taxes went down. This is because of a rate reduction in a Dayton Public Schools construction levy.

• How does all this work?: If you’re confused about how property values and property taxes work, you are far from alone. Here is an explainer I wrote last year that attempts to make sense of it.

• In-depth coverage: We know that huge tax increases can be a burden on taxpayers. We have produced unmatched coverage this year about the debate on the state and local levels about what to do about it. This includes:

- State proposal linking housing costs to household income among property tax fix proposals

- Proposed amendment to Ohio Constitution would cap property tax increases

- Think property taxes are too high? Here’s what Ohio lawmakers are doing about it