Fiscal Responsibility
The Heart of the Matter
Same county. Same triennial update. Wildly different outcomes.
Lawrence district: up 42.27%
Elizabeth district: up 33.51%
Coal Grove: up 27.61%
Ironton: up 22.93%
South Point: up 20.45%
Proctorville: down 25%
Homeowners can’t plan around numbers like that. Businesses can’t budget around them. And nobody in county government is explaining why they happen.
Here’s the plan.
Audit first. On Day One, I will introduce a resolution requesting a full performance audit from the Ohio Auditor of State — and a permanent guardrail requiring one every five years going forward. You don’t cut waste you haven’t found.
Stop unvoted tax hikes. When state reappraisals spike property values, they hand county government an unvoted windfall. Ohio law lets commissioners roll back inside millage to offset exactly that. Butler County has done it three times since 2022. I’ll bring the same tool here.
Make the Homestead Exemption easy to find. Right now it’s buried in a forms page. If it affects your tax bill, it belongs on the front page.
Every dollar counted. Every homeowner told what to expect.
No Strings. No Secrets. No Standing By.
[Read the Full Fiscal Responsibility Plan ↓]
How We Actually Get It Done
The Problem
Every three years, Lawrence County’s property values are reassessed, and the results are unpredictable by design. The most recent triennial update produced swings ranging from a 42% increase in one district to a 25% decrease in another — with no clear public explanation of why. At the same time, the Homestead Exemption, one of the few tools that directly lowers a homeowner’s bill, sits buried where most people never find it.
Personal Track Record
As operations manager of a Huntington-based technology firm, I managed multiple state contracts worth $200,000 to $500,000 at the same time — budgets, logistics, personnel, and up to 14 subcontractors — with zero missed deadlines and zero budget overruns. That’s the same discipline I’ll bring to the county budget.
Step 1 — Execute the State Performance Audit
I will introduce a formal resolution on Day One requesting the Ohio Auditor of State’s Performance Team to examine every county department, contract, and dollar of spending. The full board decides — but I’ll lead the charge from Day One. That resolution doesn't stop with me. It sets a standing requirement — a full state performance audit every five years, written into policy so it doesn't depend on which commissioners happen to be sitting on the board.
Every finding gets published in full to the public. No summaries. No filtering. If there’s structural waste or duplicate services, we’ll know it from an independent, credible source.
Step 2 — Build a Transparent, Taxpayer-First Budget
When state-mandated valuations spike, I will vote to lower county millage rates to prevent an unvoted tax hike on families and farmers.
Grow local sales tax revenue through commercial development so residential property owners aren’t carrying the whole load.
Use the performance audit’s findings to restructure or eliminate underperforming programs — protecting the general fund without cutting services people actually rely on.
Step 3 — Partner with the County Auditor for Real Accountability
Ohio’s system gives the County Auditor responsibility for property values and financial records. Commissioners act as the board of directors — authorizing budgets and holding the checkbook. Used correctly, that division of labor protects taxpayers.
When a reappraisal jumps property values, the county general fund receives an unvoted revenue windfall. Ohio law allows commissioners to reduce inside millage — the unvoted portion of the tax rate — to offset exactly that. I will work to roll back county rates during valuation spikes to keep bills sustainable, the same way conservative commissioners have already done in Butler County.
Commissioners also control the funds that make an independent state performance audit possible. Funding that audit gives the Auditor’s office the outside data needed to hold every department accountable.
Step 4 — Make Homestead Exemption Information Accessible
The Homestead Exemption directly affects your tax bill. I will work with the Auditor’s office to put this information front and center, in plain language. Real transparency starts with making information accessible to the people paying the bills.
Inside Millage Authority — How It Works
(Click Here for a Detailed Example)
Under the Ohio Constitution, property can’t be taxed above 1% of true value without a public vote. That unvoted portion is called inside millage. Under Ohio Revised Code 5705.313, counties that levy a permissive sales tax — which Lawrence County does — can adopt a resolution reducing inside millage.
The result: homeowners see immediate relief during reappraisal spikes without cutting essential services.
Butler County has rolled back inside millage three times since 2022, most recently nearly cutting its rate in half and returning close to $20 million to taxpayers in a single year while maintaining a strong fiscal position. Warren County took a different approach in 2026 by temporarily suspending its inside millage and shifting more of the load to sales tax paid largely by visitors.
Two different tools. Same principle: don’t let an unvoted valuation spike become an unvoted tax hike.
On Day One, I’ll request a full briefing from the Auditor and Treasurer on Lawrence County’s current inside millage allocation and work with the board to exercise this authority during future valuation spikes — always paired with the performance audit, so we’re cutting waste first and asking taxpayers for less second.
The Outcome
A sustainable, predictable tax system. Homeowners, farmers, and local businesses knowing what to expect instead of bracing for the next triennial update. Waste rooted out by an independent audit, not a political guess. Essential services protected. A funding model built to last the next twenty years, not just the next election.
Real fiscal conservatism isn’t a solo act. It’s proactive leadership — cutting waste, stopping hidden tax hikes, and keeping Lawrence County a place where a family can own a home, a farmer can keep their land, and a business can plant roots without wondering what next year’s tax bill will do to them.
No Strings. No Secrets. No Standing By.
