As with almost every election, we often find ourselves voting on a property tax levy or levies when we go to the polls. Sometimes, it can be confusing as to how much a particular levy may actually cost if it passes when applied to the property you own.

Property taxes are the only taxes that are truly local. When we pay property taxes, the money doesn’t go to Columbus or Washington D.C.

It is paid to the Lawrence County Treasurer and then distributed by the Lawrence County Auditor to each local entity in Lawrence County, from the smallest township or village to the largest school district or city.

Lawrence County has 39 different taxing districts, all with potentially different tax rates. Depending on what voters have approved in the past, the actual property tax amount for similarly valued homes in different taxing districts could vary greatly throughout Lawrence County.

This fall, there are several different levies to be voted upon by the voters of each district.

So, in order to help you determine the estimated cost of each of the levies which could affect your property taxes, and to help you make a more informed vote, the Lawrence County Auditor’s website, www.lawrencecountyauditor.org, has been updated to provide you with the per parcel cost of each levy on the ballot in that parcel’s taxing district.

The way to find out the estimated cost of a levy for a particular parcel is to look up the parcel you are concerned about on the website, and then go to the ‘Tax” tab for that parcel.

Once at the “Tax” page you will notice two sentences in bold writing which are links to useful information.

The first one says: “Click here to view levy data for this parcel.” By clicking on this link, you will be able to see the estimated cost per half-year of each levy on the ballot for the particular parcel.

Also, for your convenience, the link: “Click here to view the tax distribution for this parcel” will give you the current breakdown of the current property taxes for that particular parcel.

The Lawrence County Auditor’s office is committed to providing you efficient 24/7 access to accurate information. Hopefully, the Levy Calculator and the Tax Distribution enhancements will give you the information you need to make informed decisions this fall as you cast your vote on each of the levies that may apply to you.

Jason Stephens is the auditor of Lawrence County. He can be reached at 740-533-4310.