Ohio Senate overrides governor’s veto, eliminates levy options for schools

COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) — The Ohio Senate successfully voted to override one of Gov. Mike DeWine’s line-item budget vetoes, eliminating some levy options for schools in hopes of providing property tax relief.

While signing Ohio’s two-year budget this summer, DeWine vetoed 67 provisions, including new restrictions on property tax levies. The House reconvened over the summer and successfully voted to override the property tax levy restrictions, and on Wednesday afternoon, the Senate followed suit. With a 21-11 vote, Ohio will no longer allow schools to place some levies on the ballot. See previous coverage of the House vote in the video player above.

School districts and political subdivisions can no longer levy replacement levies, and schools can no longer levy fixed-sum emergency, substitute emergency and combined income tax and fixed-sum levies. All of these levies involve property taxes, and schools typically use them to fund day-to-day operations, like salaries or key services.

• Fixed-sum emergency levy: An emergency levy that generates a set amount of money every year, as some levies fluctuate.
• Substitute emergency levy: Substitutes an existing emergency levy, typically when new properties have been added to the tax base.
• Combined school district income tax and fixed-sum property tax levy: Allows districts to combine two levy types, an income tax levy and a levy that generates a set amount of money annually, as one issue.

Replacement and emergency levies both came under fire for what some lawmakers believed to be confusing language. On Tuesday, Ohio’s property tax reform group similarly recommended adjusting replacement and emergency levies out of similar concerns, although they had recommended allowing emergency levies during true fiscal concerns.

However, school districts and DeWine worried these levies are important revenue sources. Opponents also feared removing these levy types may not provide meaningful relief for taxpayers.

The move just barely passed the Senate, which needed 20 votes in favor to concur the House vote. The law involves all emergency and replacement levies introduced after Jan. 1, 2026, so replacement and emergency levies on the ballot in November will still be valid.