WCPO: Historic property value hikes irk county auditors
UC economics professor says housing market factors contribute to tax increases
Auditors in Butler and Clermont counties have criticized the Ohio Department of Taxation, WCPO reported, stating historic property value increases will burden homeowners with significantly higher taxes.
The Ohio Department of Taxation recommended a 43% increase in property values in Clermont County and 42% in Butler County as part of reappraisals that are conducted every three years. The rate hikes are the largest since at least 1978 when the triennial updates began.
David Brasington
The large increases in housing values can be attributed to market conditions including high demand and low supply, said David Brasington, PhD, James C. and Caroline Kautz Chair in Political Economy and professor of economics at UC's Carl H. Lindner College of Business.
“When you reduce the supply of something, you push up the price,” he said. “Housing is probably going to stabilize at these levels … we don’t see any dramatic change in the near future.”
Low mortgage rates in recent years led more people to buy more expensive homes, Brasington said. Additionally, flippers and investors have purchased heavily in the Cincinnati region, driving costs higher, he said.
“My thoughts are it's probably suburbanization. It’s more people buying houses, they want new houses, especially people with a lot of income,” Brasington said. “The edges of Cincinnati are where the new housing can be built the most, so that’s where the highest demand is, that’s where they’re putting up the biggest houses, and prices will go up for that reason.”
Featured image at top: House for sale. Photo by Dillon Kydd on Unsplash
Impact Lives Here
The University of Cincinnati is leading public urban universities into a new era of innovation and impact. Our faculty, staff and students are saving lives, changing outcomes and bending the future in our city's direction. Next Lives Here.
Related Stories
Innovators, healers, bridge-builders: UC College of Medicine students earn prestigious 2026 honors
May 8, 2026
Three University of Cincinnati College of Medicine students earned the 2026 Presidential Medal of Graduate Student Excellence and Presidential Leadership Medal of Excellence for service, scholarship and impact.
How a SCOTUS decision could impact a Cincinnati ban
May 6, 2026
Ryan Thoreson, associate professor at the University of Cincinnati College of Law, spoke to WVXU's Cincinnati Edition about a Cincinnati ban on conversion therapy in light of a recent Supreme Court ruling.
What can oral health tell us about kidney health?
May 6, 2026
A recent article published in BMC Nephrology points to a connection between oral health and kidney health, citing evidence analyzed by University of Cincinnati College of Medicine researchers. The article shows an association between oral diseases and chronic kidney disease. Priyanka Gudsoorkar, assistant professor-educator in the Department of Environmental and Public Health Sciences, recently appeared on Cincinnati Edition on 91.7 WVXU News, to discuss the latest findings.