Homeowners who wish to apply for the 2 ½% Owner-Occupancy tax reduction must also file an application with the Auditor’s Office by Monday, June 3. “I want to ensure that the taxpayers are well-informed regarding all options available to help reduce their tax burden,” Auditor Federer said.  Applications for the Owner-Occupancy credit are available in the Auditor’s office, by calling 521-1862, or online at www.clarkcountyauditor.org .

Auditor Sale List

Notice is hereby given to all concerned that the following forfeited tracts, lots, and parts of lots are offered for sale subject to all liens and encumbrances, except for liens for real estate taxes, assessments, charges, penalties, and interest for which the lien was foreclosed and in satisfaction of which the property is to be sold.

Starting at 10:00 a.m. on May 14, 2013 on the Court House steps, the following parcels will be sold:

Note: If no bid is received for any of the tracts in an amount sufficient to pay the amount required by law, the sale shall continue from day to day thereafter, each day at 10:00 a.m. on the Court House steps, until May 17, 2013 or until the county auditor has disposed of or offered each tract of land specified in notice.

Notice is hereby given to all concerned, that if the taxes, assessments, charges, penalties, interest and costs charged on the list are not paid into the county treasury, and the county treasurer’s receipt produced for the payment, before the respective dates mentioned in this notice for the sale, each tract, lot, and parts of lot, so forfeited, on which the taxes, assessments, charges, penalties, interest, and costs remain unpaid, will be offered for sale on the respective dates mentioned in this notice, at the court house in the county, in order to satisfy such taxes, assessments, charges, penalties, and costs and that the sale will continue for four days until  each tract, lot, and part of lot specified in the list has been disposed of, or offered for sale. 

If the tract, lot, or part of lot, so forfeited, is sold for an amount that is less than the amount of the delinquent taxes, assessments, charges, penalties, and interest against it, the court in a separate order may enter a deficiency judgment against the last owner  of record of the tract, lot, or part of lot before its forfeiture to the state, for the amount of the difference, if that owner of record is a corporation, the court may enter the deficiency judgment against the stockholder holding a majority of the corporation’s stock. 

Now, therefore, public notice is hereby given that I, John S. Federer, Auditor of Clark County, Ohio, will sell such real property at public auction, for cash to the highest bidder for an amount not less than the court and publishing costs incurred on each parcel.  If any parcel does not receive a sufficient bid it shall be offered for sale under the same terms and conditions of the first sale and at the same time of day and the same place until May 17, 2013. 

April 30, 2013 and May 7, 2013                                

John S. Federer, Clark County Auditor

Regional Advisory Boards are made up of community leaders throughout Ohio who provide valuable insight to the Auditor of State on all topics relating to the operation of the office and the conduct of state policy. Liaisons in eight regions schedule periodic meetings where board members and Auditor Yost discuss and evaluate current and future topics of interest. Some of these ideas are captured at www.SkinnyOhio.org which Auditor Yost established in 2011 to help in the continuation of creating a smarter, streamlined government for Ohio.

An Award of Financial Reporting Achievement has been awarded to the individual(s), department or agency designated by the government as primarily responsible for preparing the award-winning CAFR, and this has been presented to John S. Federer, Clark County Auditor.

The CAFR has been judged by an impartial panel to meet the high standards of the program including demonstrating a constructive “spirit of full disclosure” to clearly communicate its financial story and motivate potential users and user groups to read the CAFR.

The GFOA is a nonprofit professional association serving approximately 17,500 government finance professionals with offices in Chicago, Illinois and Washington, D.C.

For Information Contact: Stephen Gauthier, GFOA
(312) 977-9700

ValueAppeal, LLC of Seattle is one of several companies mailing letters to area residents saying they could be overpaying their taxes because “the County” value of their property might be in error. “I have seen solicitations that say owners could be overpaying by thousands of dollars”, said Federer.

Some mailings offer what some companies term “a custom report”. One charges $159. Federer said owners can do the research on their own and can file an appeal for no charge with the Board of Revision (BOR).

“We often advise homeowners to contact a Realtor who is active in their area for an independent opinion of their value as a first step,” he said. “They can also review recent sales of comparable properties on our website www.clarkcountyauditor.org”.

“The information is available and easy to access,” said Federer. “Why pay some out-of-town company to provide what anyone can get at no cost?” he asked. He said similar letters have been mailed to property owners in counties across the state.

He noted that no one can offer a “guarantee” or “a very high likelihood” of a value reduction. “Promises of ‘risk free’ filings are extremely misleading. Each case is considered on its merits and the BOR can increase a value”, he said. “Filing a BOR complaint is the initiation of a legal proceeding. Potential filers are urged to carefully review the instructions we provide to best present their case,” he added.

The BOR is a three-member board which includes a County Commissioner, the County Treasurer and the Auditor.

Auditor Federer will complete a full reappraisal in 2013.  The 2013 values become effective with the first tax bill in 2014. Owners who believe their value is inaccurate should make sure their BOR complaint forms are received by the Auditors office by 4:30 pm on Monday April 1st.

Complaint forms and instructions are available from the Auditor’s office or may be accessed on the Auditor’s website.

 “Please consider taking advantage of the cost-saving and hassle-free option for purchasing dog tags on-line” said Auditor Federer. “We’ve received many positive comments on how quick and easy it is to purchase the tags on-line.” Simply access the Auditor’s website at www.clarkcountyauditor.org and then click on “Dog Tags”. You will then be directed to a link to complete the application and purchase the tag via a secure site. The fee for the basic tag is $20.00 plus an on-line convenience fee and associated postage. Kennel owners may also purchase their kennel licenses on-line ($100.00 plus convenience fee and postage). Owners will receive their tags via return mail within approximately 14 days. Additionally, owners utilizing this option can upload a picture of their dog to the website and may sign-up for annual email notifications to renew their licenses.

Owners may also purchase their tags in person at the Clark County Auditor’s Office, 31 N. Limestone Street, Springfield, or at other remote locations. Please see the Auditor’s website for a listing of locations. For more information, please contact the Auditor’s Office at (937) 521-1864.

The following are this year’s winners:

1st Place Winner—Morgan Reynolds, a 4th grade student at Ridgewood School and dog, Jackie.

2nd Place Winner—Abigail Lynn, a 5th grade student at Emmanuel Christian Academy and dog, Polly.

3rd Place Winner – Zoey Mounts, a 4th grade student at WarderWayne Elementary School and dog, Daphanie.

“I was impressed with the excitement and enthusiasm of the students. I want to thank all of them as well as their family members and teachers for their participation in the contest,” Federer said. “Please take advantage of the hassle-free option of purchasing your 2013 dog tags on line at www.clarkcountyauditor.org with an added benefit this year of being able to upload a picture of your dog to the site.”

The tags may be purchased by going to the Auditor’s website at http://clarkcounty.dogtaglicense.com/.    The fee for the basic tag is $20.00 plus an on-line convenience fee and associated postage.  Dog tags of various other shapes are also available through the website.  Kennel owners may also renew their kennel licenses on-line ($100.00 plus convenience fee and postage).  Owners will receive their tags via return mail within approximately 14 days.  Additionally, owners utilizing this option may sign-up for annual email notifications to renew the license.

“We pride ourselves on the ability to offer this cost-saving and convenient option to our County’s pet owners,” Federer said.  “It will save time, gas and may eliminate the inconvenience of standing in a long line while waiting to purchase a dog tag.  We are excited to introduce this technology to Clark County.”

Dog tags will be available for sale from December 1 – January 31 without a penalty.  Unless it is for a newly acquired dog, tags purchased February 1 or after will be subject to a late fee.  All dogs over three months old and that have been owned for more than 30 days are required to be licensed by the State of Ohio.

Owners may also purchase their tags in person at the Clark County Auditor’s Office, 31 N. Limestone Street, Springfield, or at other remote locations.  Please see the Auditor’s website for a listing of locations.  For information, please contact the Auditor’s Office at (937) 521-1864.

click here to obtain an entry form

Contestants are asked to draw a picture of themselves and their dog or themselves and a dog that they help care for using pen, pencil, markers or paint (using 8 ½” x 11” paper).  Students are to mail their picture, along with a completed entry form, to:

 Clark County Auditor’s Office

Attn:  Top Dog Contest

P. O. Box 1325

Springfield, OH  45501-1325

Entries may also be hand-delivered to the Auditor’s Office at 31 N. Limestone Street, Springfield and must be received by 4 p.m. November 19, 2012.  The dog and student must live in Clark County.  Dogs must be currently licensed and only one entry per student will be accepted.

The “Top Dog” winner will be awarded the “#1” heart-shaped 2013 dog tag along with prizes for their dog.  The 2^nd and 3^rd place winners will be receive the “#2 and #3” heart-shaped dog tags. 

“We licensed over 24,000 dogs and issued 66 kennel licenses this past year,” said Federer.  “For added convenience, we also developed an enhanced on-line dog tag registration and renewal program.  Please visit our website at www.clarkcountyauditor.org to obtain your tags.  The 2012 tags are available through November 30, 2012 and the 2013 tags may be purchased beginning December 1, 2012.”

For questions or information, please contact Jill Roller at (937) 521-1864. 

“We have said from day one that our primary goal is to ensure that property values are fair and accurate.  Through this data collection phase, we have noted some significant changes to our current data that will affect property valuations, partly due to new construction, demolitions of existing structures and other discrepancies found during our discovery process.  Of the approximately 66,000 total parcels, we have found approximately 2,500 parcels that required adjustment in valuation (both increases and decreases).” 

 Notification letters are scheduled to be mailed out from the Auditor’s Office on September 14 to all property owners whose valuations are being adjusted.  The “open book” period where property owners may review and discuss their property information will be held from Monday, September 17 – Friday, October 5, 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 weekdays in the Auditor’s Office located in the A B Graham Building, 31 North Limestone Street, Springfield. 

Those property owners having questions or wishing to schedule an appointment may call the Auditor’s Office at (937) 521-1878.