Real Estate Tax Meeting Recap

On Saturday, October 21^st at the Clubhouse, the Association hosted a real estate tax meeting with Ashtabula County Auditor, Roger Corlett and Deputy Auditor, Dennis DeCamillo.

Mr. Corlett provided maps to the attendees that detailed which roads in Roaming Shores are owned by the county, townships, the Association, and Roaming Shores Village. The map also showed the boundary lines for school districts.

Regarding roads within the Village limits, Roaming Shores Village owns portions of Rome Rock Creek Road, Roaming Rock Blvd, Morning Star Drive, and Flame Lake Drive; Ashtabula County owns Rome Rock Creek Road; Hayford Rd, Knowlton, Callendar, Ketchum, and Sirrine are township roads; the remaining are private roads owned by the Association.

Residents are not currently paying a Village road tax. The Village does, however, receive monies from the gasoline tax, a portion of which goes toward road maintenance.  When registering your vehicle at the BMV, it is important to specify that you live in Roaming Shores to ensure the Village receives the funds from the gas tax as it shares zip codes with both Rome and Rock Creek. The Village also receives a portion of the real estate taxes paid by its residents for its general fund, the operation of the Village water works, and the police levy. All RomeRock Association members pay a road assessment in their Dues and Assessments. Public money has to go to public roads; private roads need to be financed privately. All monies for the repair and maintenance of the private roads owned by the Association come from the Association’s assessments. No Village or other public monies are used to pay for the Association’s roads The Village does pay the County to maintain their portion of Rome Rock Creek Rd. Should the Village choose, they can also enter into a contract with the Association for road maintenance of its other roads.

There are three taxing districts within Roaming Shores Village and everyone pays the same rate within a district, however, tax rates between districts are similar. In an effort to get more people to understand what is on their tax bills, the Auditor took some time to show residents how to navigate their website: www.ashtabulacountyauditor.org. Using the Ashtabula County Auditor’s website, residents can view many details about their properties including their current tax distribution, appraised value, access a copy of the current tax bill, and view neighborhood sales data. The auditor’s website also contains various GIS (geographic information systems) maps of the entire county. Taxes are charged in accordance to levies passed by the voters. Property owners can view this breakdown in their current tax distribution.

The Auditor and Deputy Auditor also took the time to explain to the attendees the process involved in conducting an appraisal. County appraisals differ from that of private or bank appraisals. The latest appraisal occurred in 2017, the next reappraisal will be in 2020. The Auditor’s office breaks Roaming Shores into 2 neighborhoods, on-lake and off-lake. During the last appraisal, all lots on the lake received the same percentage increase as determined by the State Auditor’s Office. In future appraisals, the Auditor’s office may take whether a lot is in an inlet or has a seawall into consideration. Physical characteristics and sales statistics are also considered during appraisals. According to the Auditor, homes on the lake are selling for about 25% more than their appraised tax value, while off-lake lots typically sell for about 8% more than their appraised tax value. There is more sales activity on our lake than in the county.

Those wishing to contest their tax valuation can file a complaint with the Board of Revision between January 1 and March 31. If you have any questions about your right to challenge the valuation of your property, you should refer to the Ohio Revised Code or consult with an attorney. The Board of Revision is formal hearing; however, the auditor’s office encourages residents to schedule an appointment with their office to speak to them informally. Reservations can be either by calling 440-576-1484 or on their website http://auditor.ashtabulacounty.us/dnn/Calendar. Please note that valuations are finalized in November. The deadline is ending soon.