Grassroots group says Ohio property tax abolishment issue may slide to 2027 | Reporters Roundtable

The grassroots group seeking to abolish Ohio’s property taxes said Thursday it is about halfway to its signature-gathering goal and acknowledged the issue may need to target the 2027 ballot instead. Ax Ohio Tax said it has collected more than 300,000 signatures toward a mid-June goal of 620,000. The group faces a July 1 deadline to submit more than 400,000 valid signatures from at least half of Ohio’s counties to qualify for the November ballot. Cuyahoga County’s plan to build a new jail stalled this week after Prosecutor Michael O’Malley renewed his objections to the project and called on the state auditor’s Public Integrity Unit to investigate its approval and spending. The county plans to build the new jail complex in Garfield Heights, with a price tag approaching $1 billion. The Ohio Turnpike and Infrastructure Commission has published a list of more than 300 trucking companies with at least $5,000 in unpaid tolls. The combined total owed exceeds $5 million. A historic and prime piece of lakefront property is back on the market. The General Services Administration first sought to offload the Cleveland West Pierhead Lighthouse in 2023. The lighthouse is now available at no cost, but only to government, nonprofit or educational agencies. We'll discuss these stories and other news of the week on Friday's Reporters Roundtable. Guests: - Matthew Richmond, Criminal Justice Reporter, Ideastream Public Media - Anna Huntsman, Akron-Canton Reporter, Ideastream Public Media - Karen Kasler, Bureau Chief, Ideastream Statehouse News Bureau