Tom Stephan

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I&nbsp;want to be clear about some language I&nbsp;understand has generated friction from my previous post regarding the upcoming issue 8 vote in Stow.&nbsp; I&nbsp;was quite intentional in referring to issue 8 as representing a "property tax increase". Property tax levies are time bound.&nbsp; Voters did not approve the existing levy in perpetuity.&nbsp; Currently, voters agreed to pay a levy through 2026.&nbsp; With no additional action, that levy expires.&nbsp; 
There is a levy expiring in 2026, but the school board is&nbsp;attempting to install a levy beginning in 2027 that does not currently exist.&nbsp;&nbsp;That is definitionally a tax&nbsp;increase. Currently, property taxes for the next 5 years are X.&nbsp; The school board wants it to be Y.&nbsp; Y &gt; X (Some astute, mathematically inclined observers may argue Y&nbsp;&gt;&gt; X&nbsp;is more appropriate, but let's keep it simple for now.) The taxes the school board wants are higher than the taxes that are currently approved starting in 2027, hence, issue 8 is a tax increase proposal.

Stow's Issue 8 very much IS a tax increase

I want to be clear about some language I understand has generated friction from my previous post regarding the upcoming issue 8 vote in Stow.  I...

Hello! 
My name is Jai Ranchod and I am writing to remind you of the upcoming property tax increase vote on Tuesday, November 3, 2026. My wife and I recently moved to Stow and were astounded at how high property taxes had become. We all want the best for our communities and our children in particular, which is clearly not perpetually elevated taxes that do not cultivate long-term prosperity for anyone.
While I encourage you to reach out to me via the email address below for a longer form discussion, for now I will simply leave you with the following facts and citations, and ask that you join me in voting &ldquo;No&rdquo; on Proposed Issue 8 on November 3rd, 2026.
1.Property taxes in Stow are already significantly higher than the median of the United States, the median of Ohio, and the median of Summit County.[1]
2.Proposed Issue 8 will cost Stow homeowners:[2]
$194 if home appraised at $200,000
$291 if home appraised at $300,000
$388 if home appraised at $400,000
3.Taxes from issue 8 are in addition to tax increases from the ~17% appraisal increases this year compounding the 31.4% appraisal increases in 2023.[3]
4.Taxes currently consume roughly &#8531;of the money you earn.[4]
5.Inflation has eroded the purchasing power of the typical Stow, OH resident by ~$2,500 - $3,500 in the past year.[5]
6.Increased property taxes contribute to financial stress on families causing decreased test scores, decreased student confidence, decreased emotional resilience, increased stress, and difficulty concentrating in school.[6]
See below for full MLA citations
Election Date: Tuesday, November 3, 2026
Election Location: Location: Your local voting location &ndash; 
<a href="https://www.ohiosos.gov/directories/find-my-polling-location" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">https://www.ohiosos.gov/directories/find-my-polling-location</a>
Issue: 8 (&ldquo;No&rdquo; = not losing money) 
Paid for by Jai Ranchod, 3900 Darrow Road P.O. Box 1326, Stow, OH 44224 
Contact: <a href="mailto:stowpropertytaxreform@gmail.com" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">stowpropertytaxreform@gmail.com</a>. Not authorized by any candidate or ballot-issue committee.
Thank you for your time and consideration!
-Jai Ranchod
=====================================================
&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;Citations
1.0 -- &ldquo;Property Tax Bills in Ohio.&rdquo; Ownwell Trends, 13 Apr. 2026,
1.1 -- &ldquo;Stow,Summit County, Ohio Property Taxes.&rdquo; Ownwell Trends, 13 Apr. 2026, <a href="http://www.ownwell.com/trends/ohio/summit-county/stow" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">www.ownwell.com/trends/ohio/summit-county/stow</a>.
1.2 -- &ldquo;Summit County, Ohio Property Taxes.&rdquo; Ownwell Trends, 13 Apr. 2026, <a href="http://www.ownwell.com/trends/ohio/summit-county" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">www.ownwell.com/trends/ohio/summit-county</a>.
2.0-- "Issue Synopsis Summit County General Election." Summit County Board of Elections, 2026, <a href="http://www.boe.ohio.gov/summit/c/election/20261103/90IssueSynopsisNov.pdf" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">www.boe.ohio.gov/summit/c/election/20261103/90IssueSynopsisNov.pdf</a>.
 Accessed 8 Aug. 2026.
2.1-- "Stow, OH Real Estate Market." Realtor.com, 2026, ://realtor.com. Accessed 8 Aug. 2026.
3.0-- Summit County Fiscal Office. "2026 Sexennial Reappraisal Dashboard." Summit County GIS Hub, 2026, understanding-property-value-summitgis.hub.arcgis.com/. Accessed 3 Aug. 2026. 
3.1 -- Summit County Fiscal Office. "Fiscal Officer Scalise Announces New Property Value Notices to Be Mailed." Summit County Fiscal Office, 1 Aug. 2023, fiscaloffice.summitoh.net/news/fiscal-officer-scalise-announces-new-property-value-notices-be-mailed.
4.0-- &ldquo;2025 Stow Individual Tax Return Instructions.&rdquo; City of Stow Income Tax Division, 2025, <a href="http://www.stowohio.gov/DocumentCenter/View/13135/2025-Stow-Individual-Tax-Return-Instructions-PDF" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">www.stowohio.gov/DocumentCenter/View/13135/2025-Stow-Individual-Tax-Return-Instructions-PDF</a>.
4.1 -- &ldquo;2026 Ohio Tax Rates &amp; Rankings.&rdquo; Tax Foundation, 20 July 2026, <a href="https://taxfoundation.org/location/ohio/" target="_blank" rel="noopener nofollow">taxfoundation.org/location/ohio/</a>.
4.2 -- &ldquo;2026 Stow, Ohio Sales Tax Calculator &amp; Rate.&rdquo; <a href="https://www.avalara.com/us/en/taxrates/state-rates/ohio/cities/stow.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener nofollow">Avalara</a>, 2026,<a href="http://www.avalara.com/us/en/taxrates/state-rates/ohio/cities/stow.html" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">www.avalara.com/us/en/taxrates/state-rates/ohio/cities/stow.html</a>.
4.3 -- Internal Revenue Service. 2026 Federal Income Tax Brackets and FICA Statutory Rates. U.S. Department of the Treasury, 2026, <a href="http://www.irs.gov" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">www.irs.gov</a>.
4.4 -- &ldquo;Motor Fuel Tax.&rdquo; Ohio Department of Taxation, 7 July 2025, taxfoundation.org/location/ohio/.
4.5 -- Ohio Department of Taxation. Ohio Individual Income Tax Brackets and General Information. State of Ohio, 2026, tax.ohio.gov.
4.6 -- Policy Matters Ohio. The Great Ohio Tax Shift. Nov. 2025, <a href="https://policymattersohio.org/research/the-great-ohio-tax-shift-2026/" target="_blank" rel="noopener nofollow">policymattersohio.org/research/the-great-ohio-tax-shift-2026/</a>.
4.7 -- &ldquo;TAX YEAR 2025/COLLECTION YEAR 2026 FULL TAX RATE LEDGER.&rdquo; Summit County Fiscal Office, 2026, <a href="https://fiscaloffice.summitoh.net/index.php/component/jdownloads/viewcategory/25" target="_blank" rel="noopener nofollow">fiscaloffice.summitoh.net/index.php/component/jdownloads/viewcategory/25</a>.
5.0-- "Consumer Price Index, Midwest Region &mdash; June 2026." U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 14 July 2026, <a href="http://www.bls.gov/regions/mountain-plains/news-release/consumerpriceindex_midwest.htm.%20Accessed%208%20Aug.%202026" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">www.bls.gov/regions/mountain-plains/news-release/consumerpriceindex_midwest.htm. Accessed 8 Aug. 2026</a>.
"Inflation in the Midwest - June 2026."
6.0-- Dahl, Gordon B., and Lance Lochner. "The Impact of Family Income on Child Achievement: Evidence from the Earned Income Tax Credit." American Economic Review, vol. 102, no. 5, 2012, pp. 1927&ndash;1956.
6.1-- &ldquo;Family Financial Strain: How to Support Kids in Hard Times." American Psychological Association, 2024, <a href="http://www.apa.org/topics/money/family-financial-strain.a" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">www.apa.org/topics/money/family-financial-strain.a</a>

Vote No On Issue 8 - Property Taxes Are High...

Vote No On Issue 8 - Property Taxes Are High Enough

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Stow's Issue 8 very much IS a tax increase

Vote No On Issue 8 - Property Taxes Are High Enough