Yost rejects 'Homestead' amendment for lack of signatures

By Hannah News Service

Attorney General Dave Yost announced Wednesday he had rejected the petition summary of a proposed constitutional amendment titled "Homestead and Personal Property" for lack of enough verified voter signatures. 

The proposed amendment says the state or local governments "shall not have the right or power to increase the taxable property value on any citizen's private property or properties," without the private property owner's agreement or consent. 

The amendment also states that the only time private property or properties may be reappraised for taxation purposes is in the case of transference of the property through sale or inheritance, and that the state shall provide for seniors and/or disabled persons a homestead exemption credit of $50,000, to be adjusted each year for inflation. 

Yost's office said it received the petition on July 23, but the minimum-required 1,000 signatures of qualified Ohio voters could not be verified by county boards of elections. In a rejection letter to the campaign committee, Yost said the submission contained only 508 valid signatures. 

The attorney general's office said that because of a lack of signatures, it made no determination on the petition summary language.