How Much Do Central Ohio's November 3 School Levies Cost Your House?
More than 130 school issues are on Ohio ballots this November, and about half of them ask voters to create a new income or property tax. Several of the biggest are in Central Ohio, and the news coverage has told you what they fund without telling you the one thing you want before you fill in the oval: what each one costs you. This is that number, by district, figured the way your tax bill is figured. Upper Arlington's largest issue, for one, runs about $250 a year per $100,000 of appraised value. It is a cost guide and nothing more. I am not telling you how to vote.
I pulled each issue from the district's own resolution and the county figures, and set the cost next to what homes in that district sell for. The math on the four biggest Central Ohio measures is below.
What is on the ballot, and when do I vote?
Four school measures carry most of the dollars this cycle: Upper Arlington's Issue 7, South-Western's Issue 6, a Bexley facilities package, and a Pickerington operating request. Two are property taxes, two are income taxes, and they cost very different people very different amounts.
The calendar matters as much as the math, because a few of these dates fall inside this week. Election Day is Tuesday, November 3, 2026. The deadline to request an absentee ballot is October 27, 2026. Early in-person voting runs through November 2. Ohio no longer counts mailed ballots that arrive after Election Day, so a ballot dropped at your county board of elections or an official drop box by 7:30 p.m. on November 3 is the safe path. Your county board of elections lists the exact issues on your ballot and the hours for your location.
How much does a property-tax levy cost per $100,000 of home value?
A property tax is charged on your home's county appraised value, not its sale price, and the appraised value is usually the lower of the two. It is quoted in mills, or more usefully as a cost per $100,000 of appraised value.
Upper Arlington's Issue 7 is the largest ask. It pairs a $273.5 million bond with a 4.9 mill operating levy, and the board has directed the county to collect about 2.25 mills above the current rate for the bond portion. The district estimates the combined cost at about $250 a year for each $100,000 of appraised value, which it illustrates as roughly $1,250 a year, about $105 a month, on a home appraised at $500,000. The bond would be repaid over up to 38 years. Upper Arlington homes have been selling near $747,500 this year, so many owners there would land above the $500,000 example, though the county's appraised value, the figure the tax is charged on, typically sits below the sale price.
South-Western's Issue 6 runs the other direction. It is a 2.26 mill bond to replace Grove City and Westland high schools, a project of about $226 million with roughly $113 million committed by the state. The district calls it no new millage because it plans to offset the new bond by reducing collections on older bond debt as that debt retires, and it estimates the net effect would lower property taxes by about $79 per $100,000 of appraised value. It is still legally a new levy, so the ballot lists a millage figure, but the district's own estimate is a small decrease rather than an increase. On a Grove City home near the district's $361,450 median sale, that is the difference between reading the ballot as a tax hike and reading the district's estimate, which shows a slight drop.
How is an income-tax levy different?
An income tax levy does not touch your home's value at all. It is charged on income, which changes who pays it. Earners pay, and retirement income is spared, so two neighbors in identical houses can owe very different amounts depending on whether they still draw a paycheck.
Bexley's measure is a combined ask: a 0.5 percent school district income tax, on top of the existing 0.75 percent, paired with a property tax of about $70 per $100,000 of appraised value. Together they fund a $115 million facilities plan centered on an $82 million new middle school, with the property portion expected to raise about $28.5 million and the income portion about $85 million. The district estimates the income tax at about $500 a year for a household with $100,000 in modified adjusted gross income. Social Security is not part of that base.
Pickerington's request is a 10 year, 0.75 percent income tax, brought back after a larger 1.25 percent version failed in May. Because it is an income tax, a Pickerington retiree living on Social Security and a pension could owe nothing on it, while a working household would pay 0.75 percent of its taxable income. Both the Bexley and Pickerington income taxes would begin in 2027 if approved.
What would each one cost on a typical home in its district?
Here are the four measures side by side, with the cost stated the way each one is charged.
| District (issue) | Type | What it funds | Cost as charged |
|---|---|---|---|
| Upper Arlington (Issue 7) | Property | $273.5M bond + operating | about $250 per $100,000 appraised, about $1,250 on a $500,000 home |
| South-Western (Issue 6) | Property, no new millage | Replace two 1970 high schools | about $79 per $100,000 lower as old debt retires |
| Bexley | Income + property | $115M plan, $82M middle school | about $500 a year on $100,000 income, plus about $70 per $100,000 appraised |
| Pickerington | Income | 10 year operating | 0.75 percent of taxable income |
Source: each district's board resolution and ballot notice, with county auditor estimates, verified October 25, 2026. Home values are Columbus REALTORS MLS single-family closings in 2026, computed by Adam Geuy from the MLS export, shown as context; the tax is figured on the county's appraised value, not the sale price.
The table makes the decision visible. For an Upper Arlington or Bexley owner, the question is how much house you own and, for the income piece, how much you earn. For a South-Western owner, the district's estimate is a slight decrease, not an increase. For a Pickerington owner, your home's value is not in the calculation at all, only your income is. Those are four very different questions wearing the same word, levy.
How do I check my own cost before I vote?
The per $100,000 figures are district estimates, and your bill depends on your parcel's appraised value and the credits you qualify for, including the homestead exemption if you are over 65 or disabled. Your county auditor publishes a levy estimator that runs your exact parcel against each issue, and that is the number to trust over any example in a news story or in this post.
In the conversations I have with owners this time of year, the confusion is almost always the same one: treating an income tax levy like a property tax, or reading a no new millage bond as an automatic increase. The fix is to know which kind each issue is before you look at the dollar figure, because the kind decides whether your house, your paycheck, or neither is what gets taxed.
Run your own number
The estimates above are the districts' own, and your parcel is not the example home. Send me your address and I will pull your parcel's appraised value and what each issue on your ballot would cost you, figured the way the county figures it, before the October 27 absentee deadline. If you want the background first, the 2026 Franklin County value update by suburb explains how your appraised value was set this year, the Franklin County homestead exemption savings covers the break for owners over 65 or disabled, and the Columbus suburb income tax comparison lines up the rates that already apply. For a read on your home itself, start with a home value estimate or call me at 937-239-2919.
Adam Geuy, Realtor, Blacktree Realty. License #2020007964. ABR, PSA, SRS.
This is a nonpartisan cost explainer, not an endorsement of or opposition to any ballot issue. Levy figures are each district's own estimates, taken from board resolutions, ballot notices and county auditor estimates and verified October 25, 2026; they are tentative until certified and your actual cost depends on your parcel's appraised value and the credits you qualify for. Home values are Columbus REALTORS MLS single-family closings in 2026, shown as context only; property tax is charged on county appraised value, not sale price. Confirm your exact issues and cost with your county board of elections and county auditor. Informational only, not tax, legal or voting advice.
Upper Arlington by the numbers
114 homes closed in Upper Arlington in 2026 through September 30, 2026, median $717,000, middle half $555,000 to $1,016,300, a median 4 days on market. 35 active today, 2.8 months of supply. Full read: the Upper Arlington housing market page.
27 homes for sale in Upper Arlington right now, 4 of them new this week, live from the MLS: see every listing, or narrow it: homes $250,000 to $500,000 (7), homes $500,000 to $1,000,000 (9), luxury homes over $1,000,000 (9), homes with a first-floor primary suite (5), homes with an in-law suite (5), ranch and one-story homes (5), homes with a finished basement (13), homes with a fenced yard (9).
- ZIP codes: 43221 (341 sales, median $515,000), 43220 (238 sales, median $463,500)
- School districts: Upper Arlington City School District (5 of 5 on the state report card)
MLS record, aggregates only, refreshed monthly. A town median describes the town; the comparables for one house are a different pull.
Common questions
How much does the Upper Arlington school levy cost per $100,000?
Upper Arlington's Issue 7 combines a $273.5 million bond with a 4.9 mill operating levy. The district estimates the combined cost at about $250 a year for each $100,000 of the county's appraised value, or roughly $1,250 a year, about $105 a month, on a home the auditor appraises at $500,000. The bond would be repaid over up to 38 years. Note that the tax is figured on the county's appraised value, which is usually lower than what a home would sell for.
What is the difference between a property tax levy and an income tax levy?
A property tax levy is charged on your home's county appraised value and is quoted in mills or as a cost per $100,000 of value, so every property owner pays it whether they have income or not. A school district income tax is charged on income and does not touch your home's value at all. Bexley and Pickerington are asking for income taxes this cycle; Upper Arlington and South-Western are property measures. The practical effect is that income taxes fall on earners and spare retirees, while property taxes fall on all owners including those on fixed incomes.
What would the Bexley and Pickerington income taxes cost?
Bexley is asking for a 0.5 percent school district income tax, on top of its existing 0.75 percent, paired with a property tax of about $70 per $100,000 of appraised value, to fund a $115 million facilities plan that includes an $82 million new middle school. The district estimates about $500 a year through the income tax for a household with $100,000 in modified adjusted gross income. Pickerington is asking for a 10 year, 0.75 percent income tax after a larger 1.25 percent request failed in May. Both would begin in 2027 if approved and neither is charged on your home's value.
Can a bond issue pass without raising my taxes?
That is what South-Western's Issue 6 is built to do. It is a 2.26 mill bond to replace Grove City and Westland high schools, but the district calls it no new millage because it plans to offset it by reducing collections on existing bond debt as that debt is paid off. The district estimates the net effect would lower property taxes by about $79 per $100,000 of appraised value. It is legally a new levy, so the ballot still lists a millage figure, but the district's estimate is a slight decrease rather than an increase.
When is the deadline to vote on the November 2026 levies?
Election Day is Tuesday, November 3, 2026. The deadline to request an absentee ballot is October 27, 2026, and early in-person voting runs through November 2. If you vote by mail, the safest path is to drop the ballot at your county board of elections or an official drop box by 7:30 p.m. on Election Day, because Ohio no longer counts domestic mail ballots that arrive after that. Check your county board of elections for your exact issues and hours.