Gilroy
ALLEN COUNTY — On Friday evening and early Saturday, April 1, storms swept through Northwest Ohio. Allen County Auditor Rachael Gilroy reminded community members there is hope after the storm.
Allen County held a press conference Tuesday afternoon to talk about storm damage. The State of Ohio has a program through each county that helps property owners following bad weather.
“A lot of people don’t know they can come to our office and ask for help,” said Gilroy. “We thought now is really timely, now that they are talking to contractors and insurance companies and trying to figure out where their next step is.”
Gilroy said community members can apply for a ‘valuation deduction’ from their property taxes. The program reduces tax costs following damage to a person’s property including barns, garages, house damage and sometimes fencing. Residents must complete a form in their designated county and inform their auditor what damage occurred to their property and when.
“If it was April 1 when the tornadoes went through, unfortunately that is for the second part of the year,” said Gilroy. “I can deduct 75% of the damage from their tax bill. If it happened in the first quarter, then we could do 100%. It does not affect their taxes due in July. The value of your property right now is what you will pay taxes on next year. They should let us know if they have damage, that way we can go out and look it over and get a proper value on it so that next year when they get their tax bill they are able hopefully to see some relief.”
Gilroy also said Allen County sympathizes with property owners and understands their frustrations.
“We are here to help,” said Gilroy.
If you are a member of Allen County, applications can be found on the county’s website at allencountyohauditor.com.
For more information, reach Rachael Gilroy by phone at 419-223-8520 or by email at [email protected].
Reach Precious Grundy at 567-242-0351.
