Beachwood homeowners could see a significant increase in their property-tax bills in 2027.
The potential increase was discussed by former Beachwood City Council member Mike Burkons on Episode 69 of his podcast, Everything Is Local.
For a home with a county market value of $500,000, Burkons calculated that three separate changes could add approximately $1,251 to the annual property-tax bill. A school construction levy scheduled to come off the books would reduce that increase by approximately $364, leaving a potential net increase of about $887.
That number assumes both countywide tax increases on the November ballot pass.
The Three Potential Increases
Ohio calculates property taxes using 35 percent of a property’s market value. That means a home valued at $500,000 has a taxable value of $175,000 for millage calculations.
The first potential increase is the Cuyahoga County Health and Human Services levy.
County voters will decide in November whether to renew the current 4.7-mill levy and increase it to 7.2 mills. The additional 2.5 mills would cost property owners approximately $87.50 annually for every $100,000 of market value, according to Signal Cleveland’s reporting on the ballot proposal.
For a $500,000 home, that would be an additional:
$437.50 per year
The county estimates that the higher levy would generate an additional $111 million annually for health and human services. The money supports programs including child welfare, senior services, behavioral health, housing assistance and other parts of the county’s social safety net.
The second potential increase is a new 2.25-mill levy for the Cuyahoga County Board of Developmental Disabilities.
That levy would cost approximately $78.75 annually for every $100,000 of market value. For a $500,000 home, that would add:
$393.75 per year
The levy would last 10 years and generate an estimated $99.7 million annually. The Board of Developmental Disabilities serves approximately 15,000 people across Cuyahoga County. Agency officials say enrollment and caregiver costs have increased while the board has continued operating primarily from a levy approved in 2005.
Those two ballot measures would add a combined $831.25 to the annual bill on a $500,000 home.
Beachwood’s Temporary Tax Reduction Is Ending
The third increase does not depend on a November vote.
Beachwood has the authority to collect four inside mills of property tax. In 2023, City Council temporarily reduced the amount collected from four mills to 1.6 mills after voters approved a bond issue for the construction of new elementary school buildings.
The city’s own 2024 annual financial report explains that the reduction was intended to last three years before Beachwood returned to collecting the full four mills in tax year 2026, with those taxes collected in 2027.
That means the 2.4 mills Beachwood temporarily stopped collecting are scheduled to return. For a home with a $500,000 market value, restoring those mills would add approximately:
$420 per year
Burkons does not dispute that the city announced its intention to restore the millage when it approved the temporary reduction in 2023. His argument is that the restoration was not automatic because City Council must approve the millage annually. He believes council should have publicly demonstrated why Beachwood needed the additional revenue before voting to collect it.
As Burkons explained:
“I am well aware that the city will say that, in 2023, it stated its intention to lower the inside millage from four mills to 1.6 mills for only three years: 2024, 2025 and 2026. But it was also pointed out in 2023 that council could not commit to that decision for three years because the millage has to be voted on annually. If the city can operate for three years without collecting those 2.4 mills, the lower millage should remain unless council can make the case for why the additional money is needed.
“That case was never made. Beachwood’s general fund revenue exceeded $52 million in 2025, which was approximately $3 million more than it had ever collected and between $15 million and $20 million more than similar-sized cities that also provide excellent services, including Lyndhurst, Mayfield Heights, Bay Village and Rocky River.
“Increasing the inside millage collected from 1.6 mills to four mills will generate another $3 million to $4 million for the general fund while increasing the average property-tax bill by more than $400 per year.
“Instead of explaining why the city needs an additional $3 million to $4 million annually, or why Beachwood needs to spend close to twice as much to provide services as other similarly sized cities, city officials simply acted as though they were entitled to the money. Not because they demonstrated a need for it, but because they could legally collect it through a simple and quiet council vote that required no voter approval.
“This is not a unique concept. Many cities do not levy the full amount of inside millage they are legally permitted to collect. Those cities understand that inside millage is the only property tax that does not require voter approval. Just because a city can levy the full amount does not mean it should, unless it can make the case for why the money is needed.”
Still, whether it is called a tax increase or the expiration of a temporary reduction, the effect on the homeowner is the same. Compared with the previous year, the bill goes up by approximately $420.
The Middle School Debt Is Coming Off
There is one reduction that would partially offset these increases.
According to Burkons, the final payment on debt approved by Beachwood voters in 2002 for middle school construction is scheduled for December 2026. Retiring that debt would remove approximately 2.08 mills from the property-tax bill.
For a $500,000 home, that would save approximately:
$364 per year
The complete calculation would therefore look like this:
Health and Human Services levy increase: $437.50
Board of Developmental Disabilities levy: $393.75
Restoration of Beachwood’s 2.4 inside mills: $420
Gross increase: $1,251.25
Middle school debt coming off: minus $364
Estimated net increase: $887.25
The final amount will depend on the property’s county valuation, applicable tax credits, the precise millage appearing on the tax bill and whether voters approve both county levies.
Beachwood Already Collects Substantial Revenue
Burkons’s larger argument is that Beachwood does not have a revenue problem. It has a spending problem.
The city’s audited financial records provide some context for that argument.
In 2024, Beachwood budgeted approximately $52.1 million in general fund revenue and collected approximately $51 million. General fund expenditures were approximately $50.9 million.
The city ended 2024 with a total general fund balance of approximately $25.8 million, including $10.8 million classified as unassigned and available for spending at the city’s discretion. The city also reported approximately $23.3 million in its capital improvements fund.
Beachwood’s financial report says the temporary 2.4-mill reduction lowered property-tax collections by approximately $2.9 million in 2024. The exact amount generated when the mills return will depend on property valuations at the time of collection.
The report also shows why Beachwood spends as much as it does. Police and fire accounted for approximately 42 percent of city expenses in 2024. Public services accounted for another 23 percent. The city reported spending an average of approximately $4.1 million annually on infrastructure improvements during the previous five years.
Beachwood officials have also cited contracted salary increases and continued investments in roads, sewers and recreational facilities as reasons for higher expenditures and transfers from the general fund.
Those expenses do not automatically prove that every purchase or project is necessary. They do show that comparing Beachwood’s total revenue with another suburb requires more than simply comparing population. Cities can have different commercial tax bases, employment levels, infrastructure obligations, services and accounting structures.
Burkons also questioned the city’s spending priorities, including what he described as a roughly $50,000 replacement vehicle for Mayor Justin Berns. That specific vehicle purchase was discussed on the podcast, but it should be treated as Burkons’s characterization unless supported by the corresponding purchase ordinance or city invoice.
Two Decisions Belong to Voters. One Does Not.
The distinction between these three increases is important.
Voters will decide whether to approve the Health and Human Services levy and the Board of Developmental Disabilities levy. Residents can examine what the programs provide, how much money the agencies already receive and whether the additional taxes are justified.
Beachwood’s restoration of the 2.4 inside mills is different. Residents will not vote on that increase. City Council approved the temporary reduction and its eventual expiration through the city’s tax and budget process.
For a $500,000 Beachwood home, that city decision accounts for approximately $420 of the projected $887 net increase.
Beachwood residents should know what may be coming before they receive their 2027 tax bills. They should also understand which increases they will decide at the ballot box and which increase has already been set in motion by their local government.
Listen to Mike Burkons’s complete discussion on Episode 69 of Everything Is Local.
Stay Angry.
Disclaimer: This piece was written with the assistance of AI using a transcript from the Everything Is Local podcast by Mike Burkons as the source material.
