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| March 27, 2026 |
CTAO Friday FocusKey Updates from the Statehouse and Beyond for CTAO Members
ON OUR RADAR THIS WEEKHB 92 (Rep. McClain, Rep. M. Johnson) - Regards unpaid water, sewer, and trash charges at rented property This legislation prohibits municipal authorities from certifying a lien to the county auditor for unpaid village or city water, sewer, or other municipal utility charges, and prohibits the county auditor from placing such a lien on a property, if the charges arose from a tenant’s service contract or if the property is not owner-occupied. It also prevents a municipal corporation from refusing or discontinuing utility service to a landlord, current tenant, or prospective tenant at a residential property based on nonpayment by a former tenant, provided certain conditions are met. The bill allows municipalities to adopt ordinances permitting them to use tenant security deposits to cover unpaid municipal utility charges and prohibits any contract with a landlord from waiving these protections. STATUS: The Legislative Committee has voted to monitor this bill. The bill was referred to Senate Local Government Committee. HB 737 (Rep. Roemer, Rep. T. Hall) - Require cash payments to the government be rounded to a nickel This bill requires that all cash payments made to the state, state agencies, or political subdivisions including payments for taxes, tolls, fees, and fines—be rounded to the nearest nickel, with specific rules for rounding up or down based on the second decimal place. It defines "final price" to include any tax levied by the state or a political subdivision and details how merchants should handle rounding for transactions subject to such taxes, including proportional allocation of rounding adjustments among taxing authorities. STATUS: The Legislative Committee has not taken a position on this bill. The bill had its sponsor hearing in the House Ways and Means Committee on 3/25/2026. HB 493 (Rep. Thomas, Rep. Troy) - Sunset the sale of delinquent property tax certificates HB 493 prohibits the sale or delivery of new delinquent property tax certificates after December 31, 2026. Certificates sold or delivered before that date may still be enforced. STATUS: RJ, Victoria, and Kevin have been invited to an IP meeting with Rep. Thomas and other interested parties regarding HB 493. This meeting will include representatives of the Ohio Bankers League and the Community Bankers Association of Ohio, and we have asked for a small group of LC members to talk about the specific process of lien sales. We have also been in discussions with the Ohio Prosecuting Attorneys Association, County Commissioners Association, and the Ohio Land Bank Association, all of whom share the CTAO’s concerns with removing tax lien sales from a county treasurer’s tool box. HB 443 (Rep. Thomas, Rep. A. Mathews) - Prohibit enforcing property tax liens against certain homesteads The bill prohibits a county treasurer or prosecutor from enforcing a lien for delinquent taxes against the owner-occupied homes, or “homesteads,” of certain qualifying individuals, either by initiating a foreclosure action or through a tax certificate sale. STATUS: Although there have been no additional hearings on this bill, we continue to engage with allied interest groups to communicate the CTAO’s concerns. County treasurers already work collaboratively with residents who experience difficulty paying their tax bills by offering payment plan options. As such, this legislation addresses an issue that is not currently borne out in practice and appears to be a solution in search of a problem, serving more as a legislative talking point than a response to a demonstrated need. NOTE: This is not a comprehensive list of all legislation the CTAO team is tracking; primarily major bills of interest.
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