By JAN McLAUGHLIN
BG Independent News
With the looming threat of property tax revenues being lost for public services in Ohio, one local board has frozen wages for its employees.
The Wood County Board of Health voted last week to suspend any Cost of Living Adjustments (COLA) and any step salary increases for its 79 employees.
Wood County Health Commissioner Ben Robison said the health department often uses the annual raises set by the Wood County Commissioners as a benchmark for public health staff. But concerns about the impact of property tax revenue cuts led the board of health to not mirror the county’s 3% raises for 2026.
“They are looking to just tighten things up,” Robison said this week.
Robison said he met with staff after the board’s decision and explained the rationale.
“I don’t think what the board did was meant to be mean or undervalue them,” but was acted upon out of concern of preserving services and the health department budget.
Robison said he expects the board to continue discussion on budget concerns when members meet next week.
“I’d like to understand the board’s thinking on this,” he said. “I think the board is doing their best,” as members weigh their concerns about protecting public health services in the county.
They aren’t alone.
The state legislature has been whittling away at property taxes, and efforts are underway to get an issue on the ballot this fall to eliminate all property taxes in Ohio.
While property taxes are reportedly the most disliked tax in the U.S., they are the most stable revenue source for local governments. Property tax revenues support public schools, emergency services, and other essential services.
“Every public entity across the state is concerned,” Robison said. And all are “determining a path forward to providing services for the public.”
The Wood County Health Department receives a little over $2 million a year in property tax revenues, Robison said. That adds up to about 20% of the health department’s annual budget.
A small portion of the property tax revenue – about $145,000 – comes from inside millage from villages and townships in the county. The remainder comes from a 10-year levy passed by Wood County voters in 2020.
“I think the board is looking at a path forward, at efforts to preserve the agency and jobs,” Robison said.
