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Thursday, September 26, 2019
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Monica Moran, 614.378.2879
Monica.Moran@franklincountyohio.gov
Auditor Stinziano Calls Special Board of Revision Meeting to Help Farmers, Mobile Home Owners
COLUMBUS, Ohio – Franklin County Auditor Michael Stinziano has called a special meeting of the Board of Revision for Monday to help farmers who were affected by heavy spring rains that prevented the planting of crops.
The Board will seek to minimize the burden on farmers by creating a special docket that will expedite their continued use of the CAUV for fields that are fallow for a second year in 2019 or 2020. The CAUV, or Current Agricultural Use Value, is a property value formula set by state law that is used by farmers to lower their taxes for property that is used in commercial agriculture.
“We want to extend a helping hand to all of our farmer neighbors who were affected by the unusually wet spring,” Stinziano said. “By reducing the bureaucratic hurdles we can ensure that famers, who by no fault of their own were forced to let their fields lie idle, can continue to get some needed tax relief.”
Auditor’s office staff have documented a 9-fold increase in the number of fallow fields in Franklin County because of the torrential spring rains. Those rains led the US Department of Agriculture to make a natural disaster declaration for Franklin and several other Ohio counties in July.
The Franklin County Farm Bureau applauded Auditor Stinziano and the Board of Revisions for their diligence and willingness to work with the farming community. "In the aftermath of the 2019 planting season this resolution will help farmers affected by severe weather conditions better manage CAUV requirements. CAUV is an essential tool to preserve farmland and conservation programs in Franklin County," said Leland Tinklepaugh, President of the Franklin County Farm Bureau.
In addition to the CAUV procedure modifications, at the meeting the Board will seek to refund up to $5,175.56 in overpaid permissive fees to the owners of certain Manufactured Homes. The overcharged fees were paid from 2015 through 2019.
The Board will also seek to update its internal procedures with new rules that will make it more modern and accessible for the public. Among the changes are the expanded use of email for notifications and the electronic filing of documents.
The Board of Revision hears property value disputes and consists of the county Auditor, Treasurer, and a member of the Board of Commissioners or their representative.
The special meeting will be Monday, Sept. 30, at 10:30 a.m., at the Franklin County Auditor’s Office, 373 S. High St., 20th Floor, Hearing Room B. Media and the public are welcome to attend.
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