Latest / Chuck Douglas / Mike Stinziano, Franklin County Auditor

Transcript

Mike Stinziano, Franklin County Auditor · Chuck Douglas

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He is. Yes, I know, a Democrat, but he's a good
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Democrat. Now. I say that every single time I've had him in his
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studio with me. As a matter of fact, while I was doing the
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Old FM talk show, my first show, my first guest was this guy.
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He serves well, he has served for a long time, a member
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of the state legislature, a member of the Columbus City snake pit my words,
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not his. And now he serves as your Franklin County auditor. Yes,
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the people that administer the property taxes. And that's why he's at the
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studio with me right now. Michael Sinziano, thank you, thank you,
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thank you for being here a pittire to see it. You are probably not
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leading a charmed life right now. With the number of phone calls and emails
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and so forth coming in about property taxes, it has been a challenge,
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but it's also a great opportunity to educate property owners members of Franklin County of
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what that process is. The Auditor's Office is unique in that we are truly
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an administrative office, so we are created by statute. So when we do
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get questions about process about values, encourage people to contact the propriate folks that
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may be able to make a change, which would be their general simply members
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something people don't I don't think grasp and I, because I like you,
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I don't want to make sure I'm really clear about this. The Auditor's office
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collects data and then administers that data as the law requires. Okay, they
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don't decide what the house is worth. Somebody else does that. And they
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take that data and then take the tax calculations. Here's here's what our tax
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rate is in the county, and apply it to what that data tells them.
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He doesn't do it, so if you see him at the grocery store,
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there will be no yelling in the produce department. Okay, it says
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it's not something that you know. He goes home at night and just arbitrarily
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watches a little Netflix thing, goes I'm gonna raise these taxes over here.
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But I think most people perceive that because unfortunately civics. Civics is a lost
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art. We don't understand the way our government works at pretty much every level,
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and it needs to be explained, sometimes in silly fashion to make sure
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people get it. What he is. And I'm sure you've looked over all
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these numbers, what is the most extreme case that you have seen in Franklin
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County as far as a jump in property tax rates? Well, so it's
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it's always going to depend. Property taxes are thirty five percent of the auditor's
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valuation, So that's the piece where we are statually required to go out every
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six years with a three year increment and update values. We have seen big
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jumps across the county. On average, values increased forty one percent. Taxes
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just on that valuation piece, on average we're going to go up just six
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percent, So it's not a one for one in Franklin County after a number
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of two levies in particular past that doubled that property tax and that's when we're
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hearing and people have really woken up. So in terms of what is the
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most extreme jump, I mean, there's a couple a group that have seen
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one thousand dollars increases, but they also rese paid significantly more for what the
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property was three years ago, and that's what's somewhat being caught up along with
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what value of the vote got approved at the ballot box. So I mean,
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again, you always have to understand whenever and no matter how you feel
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about them, facts are facts. When Columbus City School says we need one
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hundred million dollars and you vote yes, your property tax goes up. I
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know it shouldn't be that way. I know the legislature was told five hundred
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and seventy two years ago to change that, but they haven't. So property
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taxes still fund your public school system. That one hundred million dollars levee that
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was passed that raised the taxes. When the library wants more money, raises
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your taxes. When CODA wants more money, raises your taxes. And that
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is not something that anybody controls but you when you go to the ballot box.
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So you know, love you mean it, but take some responsibility.
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You have your part to play in this thing too. The good news is
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when it comes to property taxes, there is there is at least a path
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to maybe some recourse. There are public meetings going on right now throughout the
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month of March, I believe, and that you also have the opportunity to
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either make an appointment or I believe, walk in at the auditor's office to
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speak to people. That's called the Board of Revision, where you can go
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in and make your case for hey, my house is not worth anywhere near
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this, and try to get those taxes reduced. First of all, let's
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start with those meetings. How frequent are they? So what's important is it's
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the values that the auditor's office can look at. And so we have been
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holding and we're going to hit thirty by April first. That's the big deadline
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that is coming up. The April first deadline to challenge your property value.
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If you're upset just with property taxes, that's not enough to change your property
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value. But since we don't go inside a home, if there's interior deterioration,
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if you have a third party appraisal, if there's other recent sales that
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you feel as an office we should be looking at to make an adjustment.
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That's the supplemental information that we need that can impact that value. Thirty five
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percent of which your taxing district could impact change in property taxes. So April
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first is the deadline. We are at a number of locations the mobile events
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can be are meant to be walking. So we're at Howard Element or Howard
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rec Center yesterday, We're gonna be at Driving Park tomorrow, and then a
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number of locations. Again, leading up to that April first deadline, can
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you get the Franklin County Auditor dot com and get a list to the meetings
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you can, And you can also file online. So up until April first,
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you can file at any time. You don't need to schedule, you
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don't need to meet with a person across the table at if you're ready,
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if you know what you feel the value should be, I encourage you to
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file. So you don't even have to leave your video games in your basement.
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You can get online, you know, just put it on palls and
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do it at the basement. You know, as you say, you don't
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go inside the houses. What I'm not in here. I'm doing my damn
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just to sell real estate, you know as well as I do. We
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been in a ridiculous inflationary period when it comes to sales prices. We had
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almost no inventory. I was getting into MLS a year ago looking desperately for
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houses for buyers. Now Columbus. You know, we've got roughly a million
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million one in the metro, the Central Ohio metro. At this point,
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I get up, get into MLS and look at single family freestanding homes that
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were active on the market and they're like seven hundred. There's no way you
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cannot have inflated prices when you got one point one million people and seven hundred
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pieces of chicken on the table. Man, So prices went up, then
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started experiencing some economic problems. Mortgage rates went up that slowed the market even
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more. What's that mean? That means fewer people are listing their houses again,
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So prices again either go up or at least maintain their high point.
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But in times of prosperity, when dear Lord in Heaven, please make it
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happen, interest rates come down, inventory gets higher, capitalism rolls ahead like
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the monster it can be. These homes are not going to hold the values
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that they are having right now. Is there any kind of process where they
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are reappraised in is? Do we have to wait another six years or how
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does that work? Because if they come back down, I'd hate to see
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people paying four or five years of higher tax yees. So it's an every
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three year process. So the mastery appraisal is the big one that occurs every
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six years. Then we have a three year increment looking at what's going on
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in real estate and updating at the same time, we can always do annual
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maintenance. So if there are factors going on, I would encourage people to
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contact our office and we can give that a look. But as we started
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off, it's the Department taxation that really sets the values that we administer.
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We had conversations going back to twenty twenty of we are concerned about inflationary prices,
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people over pay. We hear from realtors. My client's over pain.
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I know it, but that's the only way they're going to get this house,
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getting that school district. But a higher Supreme court law, a recent
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sales the best determination of value, and so you've got otters value, you've
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got what's going on in the market, and trying to find a fair and
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equitable amount is the challenge that as an otter's office we're trying to establish.
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But a property owner homeowner plays a huge role in working with us to get
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to that number. There are so many factors that people don't consider when you
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talk about the valuation. The part of crime. Crime is a big deal.
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I've lost clients over the past couple of years where they may find a
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home, they love the home, it's in a nice neighborhood, and people
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are walking their dogs and riding bicycles. But two streets over, you know
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there's heroin and hookers and trash in the streets. And there's no possible way.
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I know in my heart as a human being, the money they're ready
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to pay for that house, it's not going to hold that. They are
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going to be in the bucket on this thing in a couple of years.
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And I tell them that, but they want that house really badly, so
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they call somebody else and they buy the house. I lose a check,
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but better at night. You have to understand that the value of a home
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is not just an arbitrary figure. You cannot say this much house is worth
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these dollars. A house is worth a what someone is willing to pay you
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for it, b what a financial institution is willing to lend that person to
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buy it. If it doesn't meet those two criteria, they can offer you
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forty seven million. If the bank says one to seventy five max. That's
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it. That's it. The valuation process is very difficult, and it's not
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as black and white as some of these HGTV shows and so forth make you
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believe. So understand that there's a there is an art and a science and
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a strong degree of patience that is required in this this valuation process. And
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if you want to do the attempt at the Board of Revision and have them
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look it's I'm quite sure it's not an instant process. It's probably kind of
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tedious, but you have to get that appeal in no later than April first.
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Well, it is tedious because again our friends at the General Assembly have
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created a thirty day weight period, so once you file, we have to
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sit on it for thirty days. That's allow the taxing entities, school districts,
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different boards potentially to counterclaim if they're so inclined. For residential property.
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We don't see a lot of counterclaims, but it is their right, and
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so we have to wait thirty days so that there is frustration both on the
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Otter's office and property owners that hey, I filed, what's the next step,
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And unfortunately it's we're going to be in touch with the end of a
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couple of weeks. Do you have any interaction with the other government entities as
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far as any changes any policy they may plan, Like does the city call
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you and say, hey, Mike, if we institute this tiff are we
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going to do anything that is arbitrarily just negative for Franklin County? Or is
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this budgetarily from your perspective, is this okay? Do you get any input
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there at all? We do not nothing. We do not wow. Now,
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the Otter's Office serves as the statutory chair of all tax incentives across the
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county, So I am the chair of the turk. That results in about
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twenty three meetings annually where we do review TIFFs abatements. But the turk,
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as we ternam, it has no teeth. So if we say that's a
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bad tiff, that's a bad abatement, it's not meaning the deal. We
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can make that recommendation. It's up to that local municipality to then implement our
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recommendation or they can extend it, they can change the terms. It's their
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agreement with whatever the enity is. And so we are a turk without teeth.
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Although we will do the annual review, and if you go to the
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Otter's website, we have a report that we put out annually you can look
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at the status of any tiff abatement across the county. I don't want to
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put you in an adversarial question here but I just am I wrong in thinking
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that because you do, I mean, you're the being counter you are you
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keep tracking. Doesn't it make sense that you would be part of any budgetary
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process when it comes to tax incentives, building incentives, things like It just
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seems logical to me that your office would be called in on that. So
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there's a budget commission. It's made up of the treasure of the Oder and
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the prosecutor. We do review what is submitted, but again it is going
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to be driven under a high law to those local governments to make those determinations.
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We also have the Turk Review and so there's conceptionally accountability of going on.
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But any changes, any pushback, it is going to be determined and
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decisions made at that local government level. All right, Again, Michael Cinciano's
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in studio right now and he is your Franklin County Auditor. The website if
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you want to know more about the auditor's office, if you want to look
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at the appeal process, anything like that. Franklin County Auditor dot gov.
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I'm sorry, dot com? Why are you a dot com? A dot
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gov vile? Well, that's just the way the county government was. That's
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what we inherited. Really it is so the emails are dot gov, the
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websites dot com. I flob it all the time. We're government. We
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know best, all right, the the idea of future for you, because
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you know, I'm I'm kind and I never hide what. I'm so open
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with people, it's annoying sometimes. You were one of very few people of
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your political ilk that has had a sign in my yard. When you run,
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when are you running again? Do you have three years? Three years?
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Okay? Maybe I have not determined if I'm going to run for film.
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And that's that's just just trying to get through this year. Because when
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we met you were you were running for the state legislature and uh. And
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then you came down from the legislature to to Columbus City Council. You live
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in Columbus and UH, and I praised you for that, for wanting to
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make a difference on a more local level. I've told you very openly that
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one of the things I do like about you most is your very old school.
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You are so accessible to people and all the officers you've held to this
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point. You call and he answers the phone. You send an email to
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auditor at Franklin County Auditor dot gov. You get an email back from him.
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It's really cool that a politician is that integrated and responsible to the people
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that they're supposed to be representing and taking care of on a political level.
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So I've always admired that about you, and I'm assuming you learned that from
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dear old dad and carrying on the family name. Well, but have you
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thought about not just whether you're running for auditor again, but where is Michael
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Stinziana on ten years? Do you want to be a lifelong politician or do
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you want to hang out a shingle and go be a lawyer or something for
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a while. Well, so I had a shingle for a while. My
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background's election loss the title thirty five of the revised Code, so I was
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able to do that both at State House on counsel I got an ethics opinion
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and when I became auditor and that was a conflict, although now the Ethics
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Commission has changed that opinion, so I don't know. I really appreciate the
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opportunity to serve to try and improve the offices that I've been in. It
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is nice to be a caucus of one at the Auditor's office, you know,
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council, state House. Trying to build a coalition could be a challenge
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depending on the day and the issue, but right now it's getting through making
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sure we're working with property owners as best we can. But I don't know
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what the future holds. Yeah, getting people to work together right now.
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I know it's difficult to even answer that question because this this is not an
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ideal era in which we live the the extreme views to any side, and
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I say any because it's not just left and right. I say any side
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of the political circle right now are are so annoying to well intentioned, moderate,
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good hearted thinking people that it's difficult to say, yeah, I'm going
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to run again, because man, it's it's it's hard to even say hello
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to people without getting accused of something anymore. And that's a sad, sad
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thing, because there was a time when we could all come to the table
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and argue and pound our fists and make our points and come to some sort
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of conclusion and walk out of the room and still be civil. And it's
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just it's getting more and more difficult to do that at all. I'm not
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just talking you know, Trump Biden stuff. I'm talking at every level of
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politics. It's it's becoming a little more sickening than maybe it's worth sometimes,
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at least in my opinion. So I hope that in some capacity you continue
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to serve but appreciate that. But you're right, it has shifted. Yeah.
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When I started knocking on doors a decade ago, it was you know,
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tell me your platform, or people sharing their ideas of what they like
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seeing their community. Now it's what's your political affiliation? And then it turns
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into a very different conversation than trying to find solutions. Speaking of knocking on
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doors ten years ago, I have to ask you what are your beauty secrets?
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Because you know, really seriously, dude, I'm looking at you.
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You look the same as you did when we met a long, long time,
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more gray here now you are just your credit to mom, a credit
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to mom, good jeans, got great Cyota County Kuyoga County bloodlines for my
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grandparents, and appreciate it every day. You're killing me with that face because
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you're just such a baby face. And I look in the mirror in the
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morning and I think I'm looking at my dad because my brain is not nearly
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as old as my body. Is tell me about some other stuff at the
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auditor's office that nobody ever talks about, but we should probably be telling people
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about. So along with the property values, there's a homestead exemption to want
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residents to be aware of that. There's no owner occupied credit, so make
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sure people are getting the benefit that exists in the law. And then really
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there's two committees that are growing on at the State House that could be reforms.
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We're shooting for big swings because this process that we have to implement in
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the Otnor's office that are impacting property owners at their kitchen table needs to change.
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And so engaging with your member of the general simply letting them know how
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the current process is impacting your household is huge, and so really trying to
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remind people this is the opportunity. All the state House members are on the
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ballot, most of the state senators are, so it is a great chance
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as those individuals are out seeking reelection or election for the first time, to
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ask for them to be leaders and really change a hile on in this area.
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Does you used to do Saturday mornings? You'd show up at the library
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and I would get mad on your behalf A few times I would come in
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and speak to you, but sometimes I wouldn't speak to you. I would
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kind of, you know, go over in the reference sextor or something and
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just watch because I wanted to see what my community was doing. And it
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I don't know if it may be more sad or angry, but you would
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come in and put these hours in to meet with anybody who had any questions
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or problems, and you would be standing there holding a baby and a bottle
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of water and there was no one to talk to. Is do you still
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do that occasionally? And are you getting any better results, any better turnout
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than you used to? So we still do weekly community hours. Just notched
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our two hundred and seventy first one in the Otter's office seven hundred and eleventh
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since being a public official, so been around a little bit. We do
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a hybrid now, so twice a month it'll be virtual on Facebook Live.
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We actually see more eyes participating, not a lot of engagement, but similar
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to what I experienced both at the State House, at the city and now
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at the county. Unless there's a specific issue that's within a month really bothering
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people, it's pretty quiet. There isn't as much engagement. But I understand
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it's not easy to get down to the county government building, and parking is
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awful going through secure already going up twenty first floors. I prefer to be
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out in the community. There's a number of cities, villages, townships across
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the county, and so the opportunity to park myself there be accessible. I
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went in trade, but always enjoyed the participation, engagement more than just sitting
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there working on my calendar, as I have unfortunately had to spend a great
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deal of time in downtown Columbus the last couple of months. That's something that
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I have set every single trip. If the county listen, Commissioners, your
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auditors on, I'm talking to him, so you should be listening to me.
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If the county seriously wanted to invest some millions of dollars in something that
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would pay back many more millions of dollars, build some blasted parking garages,
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find whatever property you can, and then then you want to train, you
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want to get build some tunnels. Give me a little subway path from the
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parking garage facility, some massive county parking garage. Stay and then put the
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tray and bring it right up in front of the courthouse or whatever, so
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I can get to all of those county buildings in one fail swoop. Yes,
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it would cost tens of millions of dollars, but it over the next
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decade would make you one hundred million dollars very easily. There's no parking,
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and it's ridiculous to let you know the private parties make all the money when
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you could look, you're charging us to come down there. You never go
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downtown to a government building without losing money. It's how it goes. So
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you might as well get some more through parking fees. And I'd finally,
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I'd be willing to pay it. I pay ten bucks to park in an
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open lot, I'd pay ten bucks to park in a county parking structure.
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So pass that along to your county people. And if the commissioners, now,
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yeah, like they care, they'd say, oh, here him again,
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Yeah we don't care what he's said. What the reduction for owner occupancy,
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which I'm always big on. If you own the home and you live
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in the home, that see, that's key. I get sick of people
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taking this credit and they don't they were using it as a rental property or
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something, but if you own it and you live in it, you're entitled
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to a two percent reduction in your property tax period that there's no negotiating necessary.
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It's a form is that also available on the website. Absolutely. How
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about the homestead credit sixty two years of age it's sixty five. Oh,
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you got to be older now, okay. And also there's now an economic
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component that was added back on for a little while it was gone. Trying
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to modernize that through the General Assembly so we see more older residents take advantage.
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The economic piece has really been a detriment because it households it. So
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if you're an individual, you kind of get a benefit. If you're a
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couple, it's tougher, so you can't have too much income and be over
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sixty five where you can't qualify for that credit. Correct, Okay. Any
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other credits out there that may be little known or not known that people should
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know about, not through the Outeror's office. The one area that we continue
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to encourage propery owners that are struggling. They see this property tax bills,
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you can contact the Treasure's office and get on a payment plan program, so
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instead of two lump sum bills, you can stretch it out over the year.
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We find that to be a little more budget friendly for property owners and
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that's one that we're seeing in uptick in participation as we share it. But
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when we started five years ago, there wasn't a lot of discussion on the
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payment plan program. But in terms of areas to directly help, there's one
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more. We Audit's office administers a property tax assistance program, so we call
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it p TAP. There's a number of nonprofit partners that help administer p TAP.
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It's something that had been around for decades. To the Commissioner's credit,
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they really helped put some financial backing and it is a one time keyword.
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There, one time opportunity for qualifying individuals to get a TAP property tax payment
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relief if there's a change in income so you lost unemployment unfortunately, or maybe
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lost the spouse, so change in kind of household dynamic. That's what p
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TAP is meant to help, so bridge people through that one time tax bill
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so then they're not in default, not trying to chase them and get rests
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established after that p TAB application. And see the way you said that is,
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let me take you back to the beginning of our talk together when I
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told you, you know, in the traditional sends democratic this is one of
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those things where he and I I guarantee you we agree. I could tell
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by the inflection in your voice, the look on your face. It's all
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one time. Yes, it's great to have programs that will help people out.
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It's not about taking care of you the rest of your life. It's
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but you know, we can all fall on our face. Man, whether
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the employer shuts down, or we inherit a house full of grandkids or or
24:33
whatever may come into play in our life, our dynamics change. We need
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just to lift up to get through that hole and get a chance to take
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a breath. And I didn't even know you said this has been around for
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years. I've never even heard about this. Yeah. So it was created
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by a court consent decree and there just had not been adequate funding, and
24:53
so it existed, but it was very hush hush, and so maybe they'd
24:57
give out one or two grants. Essentially, we've been able to expand it,
25:04
and again the Commissioner's funding has been a big part of that, and
25:07
that we can go out and tell people not shy away and say oh we're
25:11
not gonna be able to help you. Now, we do have hundreds of
25:15
filing for it, and so trying to stretch those dollars have the biggest impact.
25:18
Continues to be an area of focus, again, not the Auditor's office,
25:22
but the other partners that are there to help prop up and support the
25:26
PI TAP program. Do you have a lot of turn ins? I don't
25:30
know if there's not like a whistleblower line or anything like that, but I
25:33
see as I'm talking to you, I'm thinking my wheels are worllly. You
25:37
know, my neighbor doesn't have licenses on his dog, or those people have
25:41
tenants living in there, they're not actually owner occupants. Or is there a
25:47
number of calls that you get where people are turning in other people? I'm
25:51
just curious. So I often comment the Auditor's websites the most visited county government
25:56
website, and it's because neighbors are out looking what their neighbors are up to,
26:00
and then they are very quick to bring us up the speed of what
26:03
we may be missing or not aware of. So if they've added an addition
26:07
and didn't pull permits, if they've got a number of dogs that aren't licensed,
26:12
yes, we do have a lot of neighbors reach out to us.
26:17
I just I was curious about that as you were talking, because again,
26:19
as I was saying that we're more polarized now, we're also separated, and
26:22
that is That's always been one of the things I gripe about, neighbors going
26:27
over, hey, Jill, your dog pooped in my yard. We don't
26:32
do that anymore. We got to call somebody all the time, get somebody
26:33
in trouble, whether it's you know, code enforcement shows up at the door.
26:38
I remember back in ninety was it nineteen ninety five, nineteen ninety six,
26:41
building a deck, first house building a deck. I didn't even get
26:48
the holes done before there's somebody out there from the county with a clipboard.
26:52
I'm like, really seriously, Yes, somebody else had called and said,
26:56
yeah, we are understand you're building a deck. And maybe that's why I've
27:00
got such a distaste for that. But I was just curious if you were
27:03
seeing a significant number of people doing so. Yeah, I wouldn't say it's
27:07
an uptick. It's pretty constant and consistent. We hear from a neighbors welcome
27:15
the opportunity to work together, the owner occupied comes up, as you alluded
27:19
to, maybe they know it's being runned out and they see that it's getting
27:23
the owner occupied credit. Again, we try to be as an office as
27:27
transparent as possible. You will find more than you would think records available to
27:33
provide that transparency. So happy to work with any property owner. Bring anything
27:37
to our attention, and we're not out trying to penalize anyone, but just
27:41
make sure everyone's compliant with what the revised code's requiring. Yeah, just the
27:45
neighbor gets neighbor stuff. You know, I'm not a big guy. I've
27:47
complained to you. I remember several years ago, before the market started inflating
27:52
residential property values. One of the things I used to get so when we
27:56
had the foreclosures out there, you'd have somebody coming in and buy a bank
28:00
owned property. They'd pay fifteen grand for this boarded up house. Then they
28:03
would sell it to the LLC that their spouse owns for eighty thousand dollars.
28:08
The spouse's LLC would then sell it back to them for one hundred and seventy
28:12
thousand dollars. Then they're getting a line of credit on it for one hundred
28:15
and ninety thousand dollars. It's the same fifteen thousand dollars boarded up piece of
28:19
crap. But they would exchange it back and forth artificially inflating the value on
28:23
paper, which you know, that's they can deal with the court system themself.
28:29
The problem was that was affecting the rest of the neighborhood. And I
28:34
oh, that one always made me mad. And you don't see it really
28:37
much anymore because the value is so up because of market conditions that you don't
28:41
need people out there playing their games to do it. But was that ever
28:47
did that ever become a legal issue a court issued at anybody at the legislative
28:51
level address it or anything like that. It has not changed at the legislative
28:56
level. So we call it the LLC loerpoll not just inflated price, but
28:59
buying that LLC and not at throwing the land or the property in as part
29:03
of the purchase of that LLC. It's something as Auditors Association, So my
29:07
eighty six colleagues across the state, so eighty six independently elected auditors. You
29:12
have two county executive models. So if people are like I thought, there
29:17
eighty eight counties. Yeah, I just I was thinking. I saw the
29:18
look. So eighty six independently elected two county executive model across the state of
29:23
Ohio to get our eighty eight counties. We continue to advocate for at least
29:29
putting some reporting standards around the LLC loophole. That has yet to happen.
29:34
This has been a decades long ask some folks wanted eliminated. I'm comfortable let's
29:41
just at least laid out satatorily of this is what needs to be reported.
29:45
I think it's good lowering. You can get away with doing it. It's
29:48
not great, but it's a little bit of malpractice that if you're not because
29:52
the law is allowing it, not to take advantage. Yeah, yeah,
29:56
I mean that's if it's there, you do what that Well, it's tax
30:00
season. Keep that in mind. If it's there, you do it.
30:03
Two more things for I have to say goodbye to you. Dog licenses and
30:07
gas pumps. Are we getting more dog licenses? The COVID thing. People
30:11
wanted pets, they wanted somebody at home. Did you see an uptick in
30:15
the number of dog lives? We have, not, unfortunately seen an uptick.
30:18
Continues to be a challenge that reminding folks that under a high law,
30:23
your dog's supposed to be licensed. As you and I have talked about that,
30:26
people want to know why not a cat or my dog's not driving anywhere?
30:30
Why doesn't need a license? But no, I would say it's unfortunately
30:36
held pretty flat. About sixty percent of dog owners and Franklin County don't license
30:41
their dogs. And it's just a challenge because I can't just go knock on
30:44
a door and say, do you have a dog? Is a license we
30:48
are able to And I really appreciate did you just say sixty percent? Yes?
30:53
Really? Yeah? People, seriously sixty percent. I mean I've got
31:00
it on my calendar. Plus, I mean your office sends me a text
31:03
every year. I got I enrolled in the text reminder thing, and I
31:07
get a piece of mail from you as well, showing me here's the dogs.
31:11
But that's the challenge. So I know where you are because you've done
31:14
it before. We are struggling to find that sixty percent. So we know
31:18
they're going to vets' offices. We asked veterinarians to be partners with us.
31:22
We know they're purchasing them at pet stores. We asked them to be partners
31:25
but there's no requirement, and so while they may get the rabies vaccination,
31:30
they may not take the extra step and get the dog license, or because
31:33
of microchipping, they're satisfied if my dog and I get separated, I'll be
31:37
able to locate my pal via the microchip. I don't need the dog license.
31:41
Are you working on a raby's clinic? You know I went over this
31:44
way last year. I know we are. We've got area where COVID has
31:48
had an impact, and there's good partners out there. It's just tough to
31:52
get that word out. Capillari U Maine Society finally offered one last year,
31:56
And because you know, I had multiple dogs, I would take advantage of
31:57
these clagues where I could go in for it, like ten bucks get the
32:00
rabies vaccine. That was great. Well, No, first of all,
32:05
apparently there was a shortage of the vaccine, there was a shortage of veterinarians
32:07
willing to participate, shortage of venues that were willing to host this kind of
32:12
thing. So there were none last year until Capitol Area Humane Society said,
32:15
Okay, we're going to do one on this Saturday, And I think I
32:19
sent you a picture. Didn't I ridiculously. The line stretched from Morris Road
32:24
to the state of Montana. It was ridiculous. People pulling in there to
32:30
get their animals vaccinated. And you know, if you are a veterinarian that
32:35
is listening. You work in a veterinarian's office or whatever, you're a veterinary
32:38
student, you're at the OSU College of Veterinary Medicine, whatever, let's all
32:45
get together and coordinate something because we want to. Look. If we're going
32:46
to have them, we got to keep them safe. And you know,
32:51
something as simple as the rabies vaccine is something we should do. Another idea
32:53
for the county. Here you go make some money the GPS, the chip
32:58
when you chip your animal. I don't know you you got dogs, do
33:01
you chip them? Fortunately we don't anymore. Oh really Yeah, the eighteen
33:06
year old pug passed away about two weeks ago. Oh, I'm sorry.
33:08
We just lost our kiddy last week too, to them and not unexpected.
33:14
Eighteen years was a great that was a good pug run. Yes, and
33:16
so brother lost them earlier this year and then lost Wrigley two weeks ago.
33:21
I'm sorry to hear that's okay. The chip thing has bugged me because you
33:25
know I can get on my cell phone and find anybody in my family.
33:29
I can find my car, I can find all kinds. I can find
33:30
me hey Google. But for my dog, I have to go through a
33:36
third party for them to activate the chip and then they'll tell somebody else where.
33:42
I don't get that. If the county would administer we got a nine
33:45
one one that are put in one more computer and just keep track of the
33:49
dogs. Seriously, I would pay you the extra fifty bucks a year to
33:53
watch over my dog, and that will be another one I'll share with the
33:55
commissioners. It'll probably go through the shelter. And so this is where a
34:00
statutory office. Because the General simbly has not said auditors you can do this,
34:04
the prosecer is going to tell me I can't as the auditor administer that.
34:07
So we'll I'm happy to bring it to the commissioners and see what they're
34:10
fuguing. Take it two women, have a frown on your face when you
34:14
do it, be intimidating. Finally, gas pumps, gas prices up down,
34:16
up, down up down. Yeah, you have the staff. Are
34:20
you out there checking the pumps the way you used to? Are you keeping
34:22
sure that we're getting three dollars and eighty cents worth of gas for three dollars.
34:25
We are very proud and appreciative of the work of our Weights and Measures
34:30
team. Now what I remind folks, Franklin County is unique. City of
34:31
Columbus has their own weights and measures, so depending if you're in the city
34:36
or outside the city, you'll be able to notice based on the county or
34:39
city sticker. But they do a great job. We check all the pumps.
34:43
We work with a number of business owners to make sure that we are
34:47
protecting consumers dollars as best we can, to the point where last year we
34:52
had one national chain not be good partners. They were failing, failing,
34:58
failing to a lawsuit by the High Attorney General. He settled with them.
35:02
To the Attorney Journal's credit, he wanted the dollars from that settlement to go
35:07
to local community. So we worked and were able to distribute that to local
35:10
food pantries across the county. There was one, I think it was just
35:14
this past year over on my beloved West Side where the somebody had put it
35:17
on Facebook. They did a video they you know, lift a hand to
35:21
one select grade will they lifted the handle and the meter starts running on the
35:23
pump, and I don't know how that ever put It was hilarious because I'm
35:28
holding it in my hand and I already got ninety cents worth of So for
35:34
our sticker, we'll have a QR code so you can immediately file a complaint
35:37
or call the number, and our team welcomes the opportunity. But I'm gonna
35:42
guess maybe it was in the city of Columbus when it occurred. So then
35:45
we will obviously work closely with our counterparts at the city to make sure they're
35:49
out there getting accuracy as well. Does that QR code identify the pump as
35:52
well? Do you need to have your information to wear you? So the
35:54
QR card will take you to the forum to fill out for us. Okay,
35:57
so as you fill out the forum, you could tell us the pump,
35:59
locay and the address. All right, helpful information, anything else that
36:02
you need to say, want to say, feel the urge to say kind
36:07
of what you're also alluded to anytime myself for the office can be of helper
36:09
service. Email auditor stands down it Frank Countohio dot gov. Call the office
36:14
six one four five two five home, take a lot of pride and working
36:17
through and on the issues. Again, we can't directly change your property taxes,
36:22
but if you feel the valuation should and can be adjusted, we will
36:29
want to work with you by that April first deadline. All right, and
36:30
my accommendations to the staff. By the way, I've got the auditor himself
36:34
in here, But all of those people who work for you in that office,
36:38
I'm sure I've told you this before too. I was not worried about
36:45
you when the transition was made at the Auditor's office, your predecessor. Would
36:50
you know I told you the election. I don't feel like I can lose
36:52
with either one of you. I think you're both great guys. Trusted both
36:55
of you to do a good job. Staffing wise, you never know.
37:00
But the people who are working in your office, uh uh, I have
37:02
never found one that has been discourteous, inefficient, unresponsive, anything like that.
37:07
They're not They're not a typical government contact point, to be honest with
37:10
you, and uh, I've been pleased every time I've had to call five
37:14
two five four sixty six three and get help. I think they know my
37:16
emails out there, so if there is a problem, they're gonna hear I'm
37:20
gonna hear it. So the auditor would like to see you in his office.
37:22
Uh oh, is it that Chuck guy on the phone again? Yep,
37:27
that happens. Thank you very much, you always get to see it.
37:30
That is Franklin County Auditor Michael Stinziano. You can reach his office online
37:34
at Franklin County auditor dot com and a telephone number to the office six one
37:39
four five two five four six six three