June 11, 2025 — Today, Summit County Executive Ilene Shapiro provided detailed testimony before the Ohio House Ways and Means Committee opposing House Bills 309 and 335. These fast-moving bills, she warns, threaten to undermine local governments’ ability to provide essential services, especially public safety.
Below is the full text of Executive Shapiro’s testimony:
House Ways and Means Committee
June 11, 2025
Opponent Testimony – HB 309
Ilene Shapiro, Summit County Executive
Chair Roemer, Vice Chair Thomas, Ranking Member Troy and members of the House Ways and Means Committee, thank you for the opportunity to provide testimony in opposition to House Bill 309.
I proudly serve as the Summit County Executive, representing 31 communities and 540,000 residents. I, along with our Fiscal Officer and Prosecutor, are members of the budget commission. As such, I was concerned to see this proposal which seeks to transform an oversight commission into a policymaking body.
Requiring a county budget commission to exert authority over what elected county commissioners, or in Summit County’s case the Executive and Council, may place on the ballot represents a clear case of overreach. Budget commissions were originally created with a narrow, technical purpose: to ensure taxing authorities understand how much money their levies will generate each year and that they do not budget beyond their means. Their role is not—and should not become—a gatekeeping authority over democratic processes or local policy decisions.
Budget commissions already have authority to reduce millage when warranted but their authority relies on the input and requests from elected officials who have a fiduciary responsibility to the requesting taxing authority. Giving budget commissions the power to interfere with what issues appear on the ballot and interfere with the fiduciary responsibilities of elected officials, undermines the authority of those officials and, more importantly, the voice of the voters.
HB 309 is just one example in a concerning pattern of hastily introduced legislation about property tax that has not undergone adequate public scrutiny or expert review. These bills are being fast tracked with little transparency, seemingly on track to be buried in the state budget—an entirely inappropriate venue for sweeping policy changes that affect governance, elections, and local autonomy.
Important decisions like these deserve full hearings, stakeholder input, and public debate. They do not belong hidden in budget negotiations, especially when their impact reaches far beyond fiscal management and into policymaking. Voters expect a fair, open, and deliberate legislative process—not backdoor power shifts disguised as budgetary housekeeping.
My deep concerns about HB 309 extend to its inclusion in the suite of tax reform bills offered in House Bill 335. If enacted, HB 335’s abolition of inside millage would cut just over $40 million from Summit County’s General Fund — a loss that will severely cripple our ability to provide essential public services and fulfill state-mandated functions.
Such significant revenue loss would force us to take drastic actions, including:
- Shutting down entire wings of the Summit County Jail, jeopardizing both public safety and inmate welfare;
- Eliminating prosecutor positions, delaying justice and increasing caseloads beyond sustainable levels;
- Cutting vital court staff, disrupting judicial operations and access to justice; • Ending sheriff patrols in local communities, leaving neighborhoods without law enforcement presence or support.
Further, a change to a dependable revenue source that can be used to pay debt service will have an impact on local government bond ratings state-wide. This will make it more difficult and expensive to construct critical infrastructure projects that maintain and entice economic development in the state.
Unlike every other county in Ohio, Summit County cannot raise its permissive sales tax without a vote of the electorate. We operate our county on a 1/2 % sales tax with no ability to raise it without a vote. During the Great Recession we eliminated over 1,000 jobs to balance our budget and we never restored them. This means we will not have the ability to respond quickly to this proposed fiscal emergency. The loss of another $40 million will leave us with no ability to comply with the very mandates the state requires us to uphold.
We are aware of this legislature’s interest in pushing local governments to consolidate services to save money and reduce tax burdens. I am proud to share Summit County and our local communities have been at the forefront of such efforts for many years. We are now operating a consolidated 9-1-1 dispatch center which services nearly two-thirds of our 540,000 residents. Our Building Department, which averages an eight-day permit approval process, provides services to 23 jurisdictions. And rather than construct a new building for our Board of Elections, we are in the process of relocating operations to an existing space. Whether it’s consolidating three health departments or investing in a countywide emergency radio system, we are proud of our high quality services that are provided with maximum efficiency and conservative fiscal management.
It is unquestionable that homeowners across Ohio are feeling the burden of inflation and higher living costs. However, HB 335 would force Summit County into a no-win situation — unable to maintain basic public safety services while lacking the authority to replace lost revenue.
Summit County’s half percent sales tax is the lowest county share of sales tax in the state. This rate has been unchanged since its inception in 1981. Of the largest six counties in Ohio, we continue to maintain the lowest per capita general fund operating budget, with spending 30% less than the next lowest large county. Simply put, we are already doing what you are asking local governments to do. Yet this proposal would devastate our budget and punish us despite our longstanding fiscal conservancy.
I would also like to point out that if the goal of these property tax proposals is to save taxpayers money, if we had shifted to a sales tax rather than a property tax 20 years ago, it would have actually cost our taxpayers more money in the long run.
We urge you to consider the unintended consequences of HB 309 and HB 335. Public safety, access to justice, and core community services will be deeply and unavoidably impacted. We ask for your partnership in identifying a more balanced solution that protects both taxpayers and the fundamental services they rely upon.
Thank you for your attention to this critical matter.
