November 2026 Levy Information

The district is asking residents to consider a 6.95-mil operating levy that will be in effect beginning in January 2027. If passed, the levy will fund the day-to-day operations of the district such as staffing, utilities, and supplies.

The operating levy will cost taxpayers $20.25 per month per $100,000 appraised home.

To see how the levy will impact you:

• Log on to the Hamilton County Auditor's website
• Select "Property Search" in the menu
• Enter your search information (Owner name or street address, etc.)
• If your search takes you directly to the "Property Summary" screen, continue to step 5. However, if your search returns multiple search results, first select your name/address and then proceed to step 5.
• On the Property Summary screen, right hand side of the screen, select "Levy Information"
  

There are multiple programs that Ohio residents can access to assist in reducing their tax bill. For more information, visit the Hamilton County website.

Yes, this will be a new tax. All existing operating millage that appears on a resident’s tax bill has been approved by our voters as continuing. 

A “mill” does not mean millions. A mill is the unit of value for expressing the rate of property taxes in Ohio. It is defined as 1/10 of a percent or 1/10 of a cent (0.1 cent). “Millage” is the factor applied to the assessed value of property to produce tax revenue.

For tax purposes, a home is taxed on its assessed value, not its appraised value. The assessed value is 35% of the appraised value as determined by the county auditor. For example, a home that is appraised at $100,000 by the auditor is taxed only on $35,000.

The ballot to be used at said election shall be substantially as follows with any modifications proposed by either the Secretary of State or the appropriate Board of Elections (Source:  Hamilton County Board of Elections):

PROPOSED TAX LEVY (ADDITIONAL)
WINTON WOODS CITY SCHOOL DISTRICT

Majority affirmative vote is necessary for passage.

An additional tax for the benefit of the Winton Woods City School District, County of Hamilton, Ohio for the purpose of providing funds for current expenses, that the county auditor estimates will collect $5,346,642 annually, at a rate not exceeding six and ninety-five hundredths (6.95) mills for each $1 of taxable value, which amounts to $243 for each $100,000 of the County Auditor’s market value, for a continuing period of time, commencing in 2026, first due in calendar year 2027. The County Auditor has certified that the amount by which the carry-over balance in the District’s general operating budget from the preceding fiscal year exceeds the District’s general fund expenditures made in the preceding fiscal year is $16,517,941, which is 26% of those expenditures.

In order to place an issue on the November 2026 ballot, state law required that the Board of Education take action on two separate resolutions and file all necessary documents by August 5, 2026. The District filed the necessary documents on the dates below:

• June 22, 2026 - Resolution Declaring the Necessity of Levying an Additional Tax for Current Operating Expenses
• July 27, 2026 - Resolution Determining to Proceed to Levy an Additional Tax for Current Operating Expenses in Excess of the Ten Mill Limitation

The levy will help fund the day-to-day operations of our schools, such as staffing, utilities, and supplies. This levy will allow the district to stabilize the current level of student programs and services. For more information on the operational budget, please see the District’s most recent financial forecast.

Our district needs an operating levy now because the cost of running our schools keeps going up while the funding we receive has gone down. Even with these challenges, our students and staff are making real gains in learning, attendance and school success. To keep moving forward, we must protect the programs, teachers, and services that help our kids every day. Without new operating money, the district will have to reduce expenses that will affect students, families, schools and our whole community. 

Our five-year forecast, which projects minimal growth in state funding and local property taxes, continues to show that the current level of services and programs is not sustainable. Based on the Ohio Department of Education and Workforce's Local Report Card data we are one of the lowest spending districts in the state. Our per pupil spending ranks in the lowest 22% of Ohio public school districts. This means that over 78% of the public school districts in the state spend more per pupil than Winton Woods.

Out of 607 school districts in Ohio, 133 districts spend less per pupil than Winton Woods while 475 school districts spend more than Winton Woods does per pupil. It costs the average school in Ohio $12,759 to educate a student each year and Winton Woods only spends $11,481.

While our school district has stretched operating funds for the past 17 years since the last operating levy ballot request, it has become necessary to increase revenues to preserve and protect current district services and programming.

The last operating levy passed by Winton Woods voters was 17 years ago in 2009 for 7.90 mills (renewed as a substitute levy in 2018 for a continuing period of time with no expiration).

Budgets are a statement of an organization’s priorities and how an organization allocates and manages its finances is a testament to that. Under the leadership of the district Superintendent, Treasurer and Board of Education, Winton Woods CIty Schools has worked to stretch dollars and resources and operate a lean, daily operational budget.

For decades, Winton Woods City Schools has repeatedly received the Certificate of Achievement in Financial Reporting from the Government Finance Officers Association, as well as the Certificate of Excellence in Financial Reporting from the Association of School Business Officials.

Winton Woods receives 38% of its operating revenue through local taxes, 57% through state funding, 5% from other sources such as homestead and rollback exemption, tax increment financing payments and interest income. Of the local property tax revenue, 91% is generated through residential property taxes. Winton Woods Schools depends on the local community for support to provide educational services to our students. The district has done as much as it can without passing a new operating levy for 17 years.

According to the Ohio Department of Education and Workforce’s Local Report Card data, our per pupil spending ranks in the lowest 22% of all Ohio public school districts. This means that over 78% of the public school districts in the state spend more per pupil than Winton Woods. It costs the average school in Ohio $12,759 to educate a student each year and Winton Woods only spends $11,481. 

While we are doing as much as we can with less, our students at times are going without services that are considered standard in other districts. The district’s low spending is at least in part reflective of the reduction of programs and services provided to students over the last 17 years.

The state has a law - House Bill 920 - that keeps local school funding flat, regardless of a community’s growth. This means that even as property values go up, the total amount in dollars collected by a school district on an operational levy stays the same. For example, the last operating levy passed by Winton Woods voters was in 2009 for 7.90 mills. In 2025, taxpayers only pay 5.81 mills on that levy. Ohio’s law has reduced the tax rate from 7.90 mills to 5.81 mills, based on the increase of property values, so the amount the school gets stays the same.

House Bill 920 is why public school districts must return to the ballot every few years to ask taxpayers for support. Winton Woods Schools has not received an increase of local operating voted millage since 2009.

Unfortunately, the district’s operational needs will not go away with failure at the ballot, and the district will have to consider cuts that could impact education programs and services for the second half of the 2026-27 school year and beyond. It would also most likely mean a return to the ballot, pending approval by the Board of Education. Should the ballot measure not pass in November 2026, budget reductions will need to occur in the short term such as reduced after-school tutoring programs and student clubs, reduced summer school programming, hiring freezes, suspension of capital improvement projects, reduced professional development opportunities for staff and the elimination of district-funded field trip transportation.

School districts in Ohio can only fund what they can afford. The fiscal reality we face is that cuts will be needed if we do not receive additional revenue. Without additional revenue, we will not be able to provide the current services and programming.

In Winton Woods there are two ways the community partners with the school district for funding.

• Operating Tax Levy: A property tax used for day-to-day operational needs. The last operating tax levy passed in Winton Woods was in 2009 for a collection period of ten years. It was renewed as a substitute levy in 2018 to be collected for a continuing period of time with no expiration.
• Bond Issue: A property tax levy used to provide money for construction purposes. The proceeds of this levy are not permitted to be used for day-to-day operating needs. The last bond issue passed in Winton Woods was 2016 for the construction of the North Campus, South Campus and the Early Childhood Central Campus (renovation). 

In short, operating levies are for learning while bonds are for buildings.

School districts in Ohio can only fund what they can afford. The fiscal reality we face is that cuts will be needed if we do not receive additional revenue. Without additional revenue, we will not be able to provide the current services and programming.

The District does currently own vacant undeveloped property. Winton Woods has sold multiple properties since 2021 and is actively marketing two other vacant properties. However, under Ohio Revised Code, the funds generated from property sales may only be used for educational facilities, construction, renovation and the like and may not be used to fund operations, salaries, curriculum or the day-to-day funding of schools.

The District's utility costs (electricity, gas, water & sewage) have risen over the last decade. Utility costs for fiscal year 2016 were $362,715, while utility costs in fiscal year 2026 were $713,718, which is an increase of nearly 97%.

The appraised residential property valuations in Winton Woods increased $174 million from tax year 2022 ($413 million) to 2025 ($587 million). Due to the impact of House Bill 920, the District received approximately $809,000 more in property tax revenue per year, which is less than five (5) days of general fund operating expenditures. (Source: Hamilton County Auditor’s Office, Assessed/Taxable Valuation of Real and Public Utility Property)

No. While the redevelopment of the former Forest Fair Mall property is a positive investment in the community, it will not provide the District with a large amount of new property tax revenue in the near future.

The former mall was transferred to the Hillman Group in 2025 for redevelopment into a regional logistics hub. Demolishing the approximately one-million-square-foot mall and preparing the property for redevelopment was a significant undertaking. The project required a state grant as well as Tax Increment Financing (TIF) and Community Reinvestment Area (CRA) agreements involving multiple cities and school districts.

The new development is currently estimated to include approximately $56 million in new improvements, but that value has not yet been added to the property tax rolls. Construction is underway and is not expected to be completed until 2027. After construction is complete, the County Auditor will need to determine the taxable value of the property. Because property taxes are collected a year after they are assessed, the District would not begin receiving taxes associated with the completed development until 2029 at the earliest.

In addition, the property crosses school district and potentially county boundaries. Only a portion of the development will be located within the Winton Woods City School District, so the resulting property tax revenue will be divided among the applicable school districts based on where the improvements are located.

The TIF and CRA agreements also significantly reduce the amount of new tax revenue the District will initially receive. During the first 15 years of these agreements, the districts are expected to receive approximately 12.5% of the otherwise taxable amount. During years 16 through 30, districts will recover much of the deferred revenue by receiving approximately 110% of the taxes that otherwise would have been collected.

The District requires approximately $185,000 each day to operate. While the redevelopment will eventually generate additional tax revenue, it will not produce enough revenue (at any point during the TIF or CRA agreements) to fund the District’s ongoing operating needs or provide the long-term financial stability the District requires.

November 3, 2026 - polls open at 6:30 am and close at 7:30 pm in Ohio. 

For more information on registering to vote, visit the Ohio Secretary of State website at voteohio.gov. The deadline to register for this election is October 5, 2026.

Vote by Mail

• You can vote before Election Day by applying for a Vote by Mail ballot.
• Click this link to learn more about voting by mail, military & overseas voting, & tracking your ballot: votehamiltoncountyohio.gov/voting-options/mail

Vote In Person before Election Day

• Anyone registered to vote in Ohio and living in Hamilton County can come to the Board of Elections offices starting about four weeks prior to an election.
• Click this link to learn more about voting in person before Election Day: votehamiltoncountyohio.gov/voting-options/early-in-person

Vote on Election Day

• Anyone registered to vote in Ohio can go to their local polling place to vote on Election Day.
• Click this link to learn more about voting on Election Day: votehamiltoncountyohio.gov/voting-options/election-day

Other Types of Voting

Click this link to learn more about special case voting, including how to vote from hospitals and nursing homes: votehamiltoncountyohio.gov/voting-options/special-cases

According to the Hamilton County Board of Elections website, these are the important dates for voters:

November 3, 2026 - Absentee ballots must arrive at the Board of Elections office by 7:30 PM on Election Day. Be sure to mail them with enough time for this to occur.

For early voting, according to the Hamilton County Board of Elections, registered voters can vote in person at the Board of Elections office at 4700 Smith Rd., Cincinnati, OH 45212 during the following dates and times:

• October 6-9 from 8 AM-5 PM
• October 12-16 from 8 AM-5 PM
• October 19-23 from 8:00 AM-5:00 PM
• October 24 from  8:00 AM-4:00 PM
• October 26 from 7:30 AM-7:30 PM
• October 27 from 7:30 AM-8:30 PM
• October 28-30 from 7:30 AM-7:30 PM
• October 31 from 8:00 AM-4:00 PM
• November 1 from 1:00 PM-5:00 PM

For voting information, visit voteohio.gov