Michael Charney, who died Jan. 2, did everything with gusto. With others, including his wife, the late CJ Prentiss, Michael helped found Policy Matters Ohio, in part so legislators and others would be armed with research from a progressive perspective. But that was just one of Michael’s many strategies. For Michael, everything, even
On January 6, 2026, 44 people testified before the City Council of Wilmington, Ohio, urging elected officials to withhold approval of the proposed site plan for an Amazon data center in their community. A video of that meeting is available here. The council’s Planning Commission voted unanimously to withhold approval
Poorly targeted bills will do more damage to public schools The four property-tax bills approved or set for approval by the Ohio Senate today will damage public schools and public services across the state, without targeting aid to the many homeowners and renters who really need it. “Instead of constraining
Property tax circuit breaker is a proven policy that protects public schools Testimony to the Senate Local Government Committee on Substitute House Bill 335 Chair O’Brien, Ranking Member Smith and members of the Senate Local Government Committee: I am Zach Schiller, research director at Policy Matters Ohio, a nonprofit research
Testimony to the Senate Local Government Committee on Substitute House Bill 186 Chair O’Brien, Ranking Member Smith and members of the Senate Local Government Committee: I am Zach Schiller, research director at Policy Matters Ohio, a nonprofit research institute with the mission of creating a more vibrant, equitable, inclusive and
Testimony to the Senate Local Government Committee on House Bill 309 Chair O’Brien, Ranking Member Smith and members of the Senate Local Government Committee: Thank you for the opportunity to testify on House Bill 309. I am Zach Schiller, research director of Policy Matters Ohio, a nonprofit research institute with
Testimony to the House Ways and Means Committee on Substitute House Bill 335 Chair Roemer, Ranking Member Troy and members of the House Ways & Means Committee: I am Zach Schiller, research director at Policy Matters Ohio, a nonprofit research institute with the mission of creating a more vibrant, equitable,
A property tax circuit breaker is a more effective option that preserves school funding Testimony to the House Ways & Means Committee on Substitute House Bill 186 Chair Roemer, Ranking Member Troy and members of the House Ways & Means Committee: I am Aditi Srivastava, tax researcher at Policy Matters
Loopholes and other tax breaks cost Ohio $12 billion a year. Legislators should take a closer look. Introduction Unproductive tax breaks that favor corporations and wealthy Ohioans have riddled the state tax code for years. House Bill 96, the budget bill recently approved by the General Assembly, limited a number
Messages for discussing property tax reform in Ohio. (Read the full report.) Key Message Some Ohioans are paying too much in property taxes. Reform should help them — without making our tax code even less equitable and without harming schools and other public services that rely on property taxes. Talking
See our talking points on why the circuit breaker is the only good option on the table for this committee. Thanks for the opportunity to provide some thoughts to the committee. Clearly, some Ohioans need property tax relief. Critically, this relief must be targeted to those who need it. The
Remembering Policy Matters partner Rick McHugh
Rick McHugh, who passed away on Christmas Eve, was instrumental in Policy Matters Ohio’s work defending and improving our unemployment compensation system and supporting workers’ rights. As a staffer at the National Employment Law Project (NELP), he filled us in on how the UC system worked for one of our