In Disaster’s Wake: Tornado Damaged Property Tax Relief Campaign

About the Program

Category: Civic Education and Public Information (Best in Category)

Year: 2020

No property owner should be stuck paying a full property tax bill after their home or business is damaged by a tornado. More than 4,400 Montgomery County families and businesses invested so much in their properties, only to see them tragically and unexpectedly damaged by EF-4 tornadoes on Memorial Day, 2019. To provide tax relief to these families and business owners, the Montgomery County Auditor’s Office had to utilize Ohio’s Damaged Property Deduction program. But there was a restriction: property owners had to apply themselves. To spread the word, the auditor’s office created a comprehensive public information campaign consisting of five strategies:1.Digital advertising2.Earned news stories3.Community outreach events4.Mobile assistance centers5.Tax relief mailingsThese strategies had tremendous results. Digital ads were seen more than 1 million times by people in affected communities. The tax relief program was the subject of more than 50 news stories, and in-person events reached 600 people. Finally, more than 3,400 applications were mailed to affected property owners. But the bottom line was always the campaign’s most important metric: more than 1,200 property owners received tax relief, helping these victims after an incredible tragedy.