CLEVELAND (AP) — Cities, schools and government agencies in the Cleveland area have shared a $5 million windfall from property appraisal savings.
The money was deposited Friday by Cuyahoga (ky-uh-HOH'-guh) County in local government accounts. The biggest check, for $621,462, went to Cleveland schools.
County Executive Ed FitzGerald tells The (Cleveland) Plain Dealer (http://bit.ly/Xf3kqU ) it's a good example of government refunding unused money.
In every Ohio county, a percentage of property taxes is set aside to pay for appraisals and related work. Most Ohio counties return leftover money every few years, but Cuyahoga County has not done so since 2000.
That's about the time Frank Russo became county auditor. He held that job until he pleaded guilty in 2010 to bribery in return for steering commercial appraisal work.
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Information from: The Plain Dealer, http://www.cleveland.com
