2912 Property reappraisal

We had dinner last night with fellow Lakesiders--i.e., we all own property in a vacation community on Lake Erie, where the land is owned by an association. We lease our land and the house only has 730 sq. ft. So we get virtually no services from the county, or the township who sets all our codes and rules, and almost no children live in the town because most home owners live elsewhere. We are not counted among the 40,000 residents of the county (over one billion in taxable property), but about 60% of the families who do live there have no children.

We were all stunned by the new increases. Are they gold plating the gymnasium of Danbury Township High School? Of course, we don't vote in that district so we have no say in how they divvy up their golden egg (i.e. Lakeside), but I think they are close to killing the goose, and if not that, the character of our little community. Increasingly, only the wealthy can afford to buy there, and in recent years builders have been building spec houses, and even some three or four "locals" are buying up multiple properties.

First, the actual year around residents who live and work in Ottawa County or nearby sold out and moved to less expensive towns; now many retirees are selling off because the taxes are quite high (for nothing in return). When the wealthy move in, we've noticed their "wants" and "gotta-haves" start changing the very reasons they bought property there. Their homes are professionally landscaped and decorated; their donations to the various fund raisers carry much more weight than the folks who have more modest means; they populate the various boards and committees. In checking the county stats, I see that Ottawa County has half the Ohio poverty rate--about 5%--probably because all the poor had to move!

Second homes accounted for the last real estate boom. So if you've bought one, you've probably experienced the same thing.

Technorati has 26 posts tagged Lakeside, Ohio and most of them seem to be mine. So here's one more.

Lakeside, Ohio
Ottawa County Ohio
property taxes
vacation homes