Taxes and transparency are key issues for county auditor candidates

This story was produced by Miami University journalism students Sarah Kennel Young and Larissa Shoemaker in partnership with The Oxford Free Press.

In the general election on Nov. 3, Butler County voters will choose between Republican incumbent Nancy Nix and Democratic challenger Amy Hines for county auditor.

The county auditor acts as the county’s chief fiscal officer, paying county employees, overseeing county funds and keeping financial records. The office also calculates taxes, at rates set by other local governing bodies, and assesses real estate values for tax purposes in accordance with Ohio law.

“For anyone who owns property in the county, (the auditor) is the person that’s determining how much that property is worth for purposes of taxation through property taxation,” said Sarah Larson, a political science professor at Miami University and Butler County resident. “For many individuals, the property tax bill is a large ticket item that they’re going to be paying every single year.” 

Incumbent Nancy Nix became Butler County auditor in 2023 after 15 years as county treasurer. She describes herself as a “financial hawk” whose main priorities are tax issues and inflation. 

“We’ve checked every box that you can for trying to alleviate the property tax burden,” said Nix. “I think we’re on the forefront in Butler County (in trying) to lessen the tax burden on residents. I know what our taxpayers want and demand, and so I’m going by that.” 

Nix said she worked with state legislators to pass five new House bills combating high property taxes, worked with municipalities across Butler County to forgo windfall taxes and fosters a local homesteading option for elderly and disabled homeowners to exempt a portion of their home’s value from property taxes.

Challenger Amy Hines has a background in real estate and wealth management and said the three main values of her campaign are clear records, fair process and connected community. 

“People care about having access to the data that they need, and that oftentimes is very specific to their own personal needs related to their home,” said Hines. “People express a lot of confusion about how their property taxes are calculated.” 

Hines wants to improve access to public data by providing clear, accurate financial reports, making printed records and downloadable records more accessible and allowing Butler County residents to compare tax information from previous years. She also hopes to improve software used by the auditor’s office to better manage the property tax system. 

“What this office can do is actually tell the (financial) story,” Hines said.

Nix also said that keeping up to date on new technology will be a primary focus of this election cycle. She identified improving geographic information systems, which provide digital maps and property information, as an area of focus, along with maintaining existing tools that allow property owners to search for levies affecting their property. 

Both candidates said they want to make property tax information more transparent and improve how the Butler County auditor’s office serves residents. 

More information can be found on the candidates' websites: Amy Hines and Nancy Nix.