Q. |
What is the city income tax rate? |
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| A. | 2.00% on all wages although the City offers a 100% credit, up to 2.00% on taxes paid to another city. |
| Q. | What is RITA and why do I owe? |
| A. | RITA is the Regional Income Tax Agency and they act as our tax department. They collect and distribute all income tax revenues within the City. You may owe income tax if your workplace city is at a rate below 2.00% or if other taxable income has no tax withheld. |
| Q. | What is the real estate tax rate? |
| A. | The voted, full tax rate is 95.90 mills. The effective tax rate, the rate that you actually pay, is 46.72 mills meaning that for every $1,000 of assessed valuation, you pay $46.72. Your assessed value is 35% of your market value. |
| Q. | How do I calculate my real estate taxes? If my house is worth X, what are my taxes? |
| A. | Take the market value of your home, multiply it by 35%, divide by 1,000 and multiply by 46.72. This is your annual tax liability. To this number you must add any special assessments on your property. |
| Q. | Where do my real estate taxes go? |
| A. | Of your total real estate tax bill, 59% goes to the Mayfield School District, 30% goes to Cuyahoga County, 4% goes to the Library and 7% is received by the City. |
| Q. | Why are my real estate taxes going up? |
| A. | Your taxes can increase for a variety of reasons, the most common being voted tax increases. Additionally, the County updates their property records every three years which typically increases the value of your home. |
| Q. | What are the “special assessments” listed on my tax bill? |
| A. | The City assesses for street lighting and sewer maintenance. The combined amount for these two assessments is likely under $150 per year. These assessments are citywide and for a continuing period. Some homeowners have additional assessments relating to their specific property or subdivision. You may contact the Finance Department for further information. |
| Q. | How long does my assessment run? |
| A. | Street lighting and sewer assessments are continual, annual assessments. If you have other assessments unique to your property, they typically run for a specific time. Please contact the Finance Department for further information. |
| Q. | Why am I paying for “street lighting” when my street has no street lights? |
| A. | Street lighting is a benefit to all residents of the City of Highland Heights regardless if a street light is directly in front of your property or on your street. All residents are assessed a small amount each year on their property tax bill for this service. |
| Q. | Can I pay off my assessment early? |
| A. | In most instances, the simple answer is no. When projects are assessed to an individual property, the home owner is notified of the assessment and given the opportunity to pay for the improvement; otherwise, the City pays for the improvement with bonds and uses the proceeds of the assessments to pay off the debt. For this reason, most assessments are tied to a debt schedule and not subject to payoff. |
Q. |
Which holidays will affect my rubbish collection? |
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| A. | The following holidays are observed by the contractor: New Years Day, Labor Day, Memorial Day, Thanksgiving Day, Independence Day and Christmas Day. Any time these holidays fall on a weekday OTHER THAN Friday, rubbish collection from that day on will be delayed one day during that week. |
| Q. | Will the rubbish contactor take tires? |
| A. | The city’s contractor will take passenger car tires without rims from residents replacing tires on their vehicles. Tires generated by commercial business are excluded from this contract. |
| Q. | What furniture and appliances will the city collect? |
| A. | “Bulky Waste” is collected on the same days as rubbish and recyclables by the city’s rubbish contractor. Items may include appliances, water tanks, furniture, carpeting, toys, lamps, small auto parts, tire rims and other waste materials. FREON from appliances is removed by the contractor. Carpeting should be cut and tied in 4’ lengths of 40 lbs. or less. |
| Q. | What brush collection options are available? |
| A. | The city’s rubbish contractor will accept trees, shrub and brush trimmings and magazines securely tied together forming an easily handled package not exceeding four feet in length or 40 lbs. in weight. Limbs and tree trunks are limited to a maximum of 8” in diameter. Stumps are excluded from the collection. In addition to brush disposal with their regular rubbish collection, residents may also chose to take part in the spring Brush Collection Program. This program offers residents the opportunity to dispose of small brush without having to tie and bundle items for disposal by the city’s rubbish collection contractor. The program is offered for approximately a six week period in the spring. Please watch for dates and times. |
| Q. | If my mailbox is damaged by the snow plow will the city repair it? |
| A. | In general, the maintenance and repair of mailboxes is the homeowner’s responsibility. More often than not, mailboxes are damaged by snow coming off the plow blade than they are by actually being struck. It is recommended that mailboxes be placed no closer than 18” to the roadway and that, for safety reasons, posts be constructed of a yielding design. The State of Ohio Department of Transportation specifications call for mailbox posts to be made of treated wood no greater than 4” x 4” square. In the winter, be sure to install a snow shield to protect your mailbox from damage when streets and driveways are being plowed. To prevent the interruption of mail service, keep the area in front of your mailbox clear of snow. Remind your snow plow contractor not to push snow up against your mailbox. If your mailbox does get damaged, the service department can assist you with a temporary repair. |
| Q. | I think my sewer may be blocked. What should I do? |
| A. | If some of the sewer drains in your home are blocked and others seem to being working normally, the problem is most likely localized somewhere in your home and you may need the help of a plumber. If, however, all of the drains in your house appear to be blocked, there may be a problem with the main lateral line that connects your home to the city’s sewer main in the street. In this case you can contact the Cuyahoga County Sanitary Engineer’s office for assistance. Residents with sewer problems should contact the Cuyahoga County Sanitary Engineer’s office directly at (216) 443-8201. |
| Q. | What should I do if I see a street light that is out? |
If you see a streetlight out, please contact First Energy as soon as possible. They will check the light and repair it as quickly as possible. To report a streetlight outage, you can: Call automated outage reporting line at 1-888-LIGHTSS (544-4877), or go online to www.firstenergycorp.com. Click on Customer Care, Online Service Requests, and then Report Streetlight Outage. Just let them know where the streetlight is located and what is wrong with it (damaged pole, light fixture broken, light flickers or comes on during the day). |
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