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As we enter February the Board of Revision is now accepting complaints from homeowners who feel their property values are incorrect, and your Franklin County Auditor’s office is hard at work making the process easier and more accessible than ever before.
My goal as your Franklin County Auditor is to make the process of challenging your home value accessible to everyone in our community. When the Auditor’s office teamed up with the Kirwan Institute for the Study of Race and Ethnicity last year to examine the office’s appraisal processes, one finding of the report they produced was that the Board’s complaint process was underutilized in lower-income minority neighborhoods. That is a discrepancy I want to correct.
Homeowners can always e-file a complaint on the BOR website, where instructions on how to file can also be found along with other resources. The deadline to file is March 31, 2022, after which the Board will hold hearings with homeowners to determine if a change in value is warranted.
In advance of the filing deadline, the office will hold multiple in-person Board of Revision Filing Events to help homeowners. More than 13 events are planned, where office staff will assist with forms, information on filing, and accepting complaints from homeowners. Times and locations can be found below and on the Auditor’s office website.
As the office adapts to ongoing public health concerns because of the pandemic, it will also offer virtual BOR filing events via Facebook Live. Four virtual events are planned to help homeowners with the BOR process. Links to the Facebook Live event have been posted on the Board’s website.
The office will also offer for a second year the Homeowner Assistance Program, which is designed to help lower- and middle-income homeowners with the BOR filing process. The program uses real estate and legal volunteers to help homeowners determine if they should file a complaint, with the filing process, and with the Board hearing process. If you have interest in participating in the program, please fill out and submit this form.
Challenging your home’s value, which helps determine how much property tax you pay, is the right of everyone in our community. I encourage anyone who thinks their home value is inaccurate to file with the Board of Revision or attend one of our informational events.
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Michael Stinziano
Franklin County Auditor |
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Employee Spotlight: Board of Revision Clerk Chris Holderfield
One of the busiest employees during Board of Revision filing season is Board Clerk Chris Holderfield, who leads the BOR team as they accept complaints from homeowners who believe their home value is incorrect. Chris joined the Board in 2013 and served in several roles before becoming the BOR’s Clerk/Team Lead in 2019.
“I like my job because every day is different and I work with different parties (taxpayers, attorneys, witnesses, staff, hearing officers) to coordinate hearing dates and ensure the BOR is working through the case load efficiently,” Chris said. “We accept property value complaints on all types of properties and since each property is unique they get handled differently. Many go through our telephone mediation process or a virtual hearing, but some are able to be reviewed by the Board without a hearing.”
The Board of Revision is currently accepting complaints about home values through the March 31 deadline.
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Auditor’s Office is Looking for Volunteers to Give Input on New Appraisals Program
Ahead of the 2023 general reappraisal, the Auditor’s office is looking for volunteers to be a part of a focus group to provide input on a new program that is designed to get homeowners’ input in the appraisal process.
The Owner Assisted Valuation program will solicit input from homeowners earlier in the appraisal process than ever before and is designed to improve both transparency and the appraisal process. Focus group members will provide feedback on the new program and how the office can improve it for homeowners.
To apply for the focus group, you must be over 18 years old, own a property in Franklin County, provide a short paragraph explaining your interest, and be available to participate in a live session via Zoom on February 23. To apply, please fill out this form.
Applications are due by February 4, and participants will be notified of their acceptance on February 11.
2021 Sales Year End Review Shows Hot Housing Market
The median sale price of a residential home in Franklin County has risen more than 32% since 2019, to $242,000, according to the newly-released 2021 Sales Year End Review from the Auditor’s office. Overall, there was $6,056,880,819 in total residential sale value in Franklin County, representing 24,332 home sales.
The review, available on the Auditor’s website, details 2021 real estate sales information using GIS mapping technology to show the data down to the level of school district, municipality and Columbus area commission.
Among the localized data: The highest median sale price by Franklin County municipality was a tie – Marble Cliff and New Albany both were at $600,000; The highest median sale price in Columbus by area commission was in the Clintonville Area Commission, at $344,900; and the highest number of residential sales in Columbus by area commission was in the Greater Hilltop Area Commission, with 1,358 sales.
The 2021 Sales Year End Review report is a compilation of real estate dashboards that are updated monthly on the Auditor’s website. Like the Year-End review, the dashboard uses advanced GIS mapping to illustrate home sales trends in Franklin County.
Dog License Renewal Season is Underway
Dog owners have through March 31 to purchase their one-year, three-year or permanent dog license without penalty from the Auditor’s office. This year the office has once again extended the deadline to renew by two months to make getting a license more convenient for Franklin County dog owners.
Licenses can always be purchased online at doglicense.franklincountyohio.gov, or at the Auditor’s office license counter, 373 S. High St., 21st Floor in downtown Columbus. The counter is open Monday through Friday, from 8 am to 4 pm. Owners can also change addresses, download forms and update dog information via the online licensing system.
In addition, staff will have an extensive presence at events around the community, offering licensing services, resources and information. The Auditor’s mobile office has also been out in neighborhoods offering licensing services.
Dog licensing is responsible pet care, and ensures that if your dog is ever lost, they can be returned quickly to you. License fees also help support the Franklin County Dog Shelter and Adoption Center and their extensive canine services.
Columbus Asia Market (CAM) wins January True Transactions Award
Columbus Asia Market (CAM) has won the January True Transactions Award for its outstanding record of using accurate scales and scanners in its sales of Asian foods and goods.
“Congratulations to CAM and all of its staff for their excellent use of accurate scales and scanners in serving their customers with outstanding, high-quality products,” Stinziano said. “The market works closely with Weights and Measures staff to ensure accuracy, a trait of a great business,” Stinziano said.
CAM is located at 3767 Park Mill Run in Hilliard and has two other locations, one in Cleveland and one in Cincinnati. The market sells fresh fruits and vegetables, meat, poultry, seafood, seasonings, sauces, cookies, noodles, rice, as well as frozen dim-sums. It features more than 10,000 items for sale.
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Me and My Pal Calendars Now Available
New 2022 Me and My Pal calendars featuring the drawings of students with their canine best friends are now available from the Auditor’s office.
The Calendars are part of the Me and My Pal Drawing Contest, which was held in December and promotes responsible pet care through dog licensing.
To request a calendar, please email Administrative Assistant Shawna Florio at Shawna.Florio@franklincountyohio.gov.
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 Community Hours
Franklin County Auditor Michael Stinziano continues to hold weekly Community Hours meetings where residents can stop by and visit, or join virtually via Facebook @mstinziano, and share firsthand their feedback and ideas about the Auditor’s office or any concerns they have.
Community Hours will be held at the dates and locations listed below.
- Wednesday, February 2 @ 11:30AM - Virtual Community Hours featuring Prairie Township and Mi Casita Venezolana.
- Tuesday, February 8 (1:00pm-2:00PM), in-person at the Grandview Heights Library, 1685 W. 1st Avenue, Columbus, Ohio 43212
- Monday, February 14 @ 11:30AM - Virtual Community Hours featuring Norwich Township and Crumbl Cookies.
- Thursday, February 24 (10:00AM-11:00AM), In-person at the Columbus Metropolitan Library (Whitehall Branch), 4445 E. Board Street, Columbus, Ohio 43213
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