Although I'm glad I don't have a mortgage to worry about any more, I miss the days where my property taxes (and insurance, for that matter) were part of that monthly payment – instead of coming in the mail as an unwelcome surprise twice a year.
Above you see two of my parents' Lorain County property tax bills – for the first halves of 1960 and 1961 – for the house they built at 1604 W. 30th Street in Lorain. The bills were part of a large box of old documents that I was recently taking to the Lorain County Collection Center on Abbe Rd. in Elyria to be shredded. I salvaged the two documents to examine them more closely.
What was interesting to me was seeing "W. J. Neuman Sub 2" on the bill, identifying where the property was located. W. J. Neuman (the subject of several of my blog posts) of course was the well-known dairy farmer whose acreage bordering Oberlin Avenue and Meister Road became a large westside housing subdivision that included the house my parents built.
I noticed that the tax bills allow you to send a self-addressed stamped envelope so that you could receive a receipt. Mom did exactly that, obviously. A quick review of my current bill revealed that you can still do that in 2025 if you wish.
It's also neat seeing the old school technology used to generate the bills.
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The names of subdivisions are always interesting. I remember the first house I bought as an adult was on Lorain's east side on Nebraska Avenue, part of the Hoy Lo Mae allotment. At first I thought it was some kind of Indian name; later I found out that "Hoy Lo Mae" was derived from the first names of the developer's children.
"Hoy Lo Mae" sounds like a Sixties gasoline additive, something you might find in Pure Firebird Super, or some such.
ReplyDeleteI can hear that big line printer right now! The $177.26, in (an assumed) 1962 , is $1,893.28 in 2025 money! (https://www.usinflationcalculator.com/). I like how the check # is written on the top-left. I did the same thing, back when I wrote checks.
ReplyDeleteI knew an old guy had a big boat, "VeBeJo" - after his daughters: Vera, Betty, and Joann, in birth order, of course. He said it was prettier than "RaTyAnn" - their actual nicknames.
So, taxes are actually cheaper on this house now as the current taxes are only $730 per half in 2025 money. I suppose one of the few perks of remaining in Lorain all these years.
DeleteI see that Carl O. Schmitkons started the grand tradition of plastering his name on the bills, as if we owed him the tax rather than the county. This has been continued by the current treasurer, Daniel J. Talarek, to whom I send an incredible amount of money twice a year.
ReplyDeleteI the "Citizens For Property Tax Reform" group has their way,property taxes might be a thing of the past in Ohio in a few years.I signed the petition and hope other citizens do too.And I hope people vote it in next year.It only makes sense.Why should anyone have to pay "rent" to the county to live on property that they own?There are other ways to fund the police,fire dept,schools,etc.It's time these lawmakers start earning their keep and start getting their creative juices flowing.And if they put it on the ballot,well then I'll vote a big "NO" on that too.
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