Yearly Archives: 2025

Transparency in local government is vital to maintaining public trust and ensuring accountability. In Garfield Heights, residents have relied on regular financial audits to provide a clear understanding of the city’s financial health. However, as of March 26, 2025, no public audits have been released since 2021, creating significant concern among residents about fiscal oversight and transparency.

Why Audits Matter

Financial audits verify that city funds are properly managed, revealing whether there’s a surplus or deficit and if resources are efficiently utilized. This information is crucial for residents, especially amid rising taxes that have forced many to make difficult financial choices between essentials such as food, medicine, utilities, or taxes. Seniors and fixed-income families, already burdened by escalating living costs, need assurance their tax contributions are responsibly managed.

Audit Status and Financial Overview

The available audit reports through 2021 provide clear insights, but the absence of audits since then is troubling. The table below summarizes the audit status for each year:

(Missing audits are highlighted in red to underscore critical transparency gaps.)

Implications for Our Community

The missing audits pose several risks:

• Loss of Public Trust: Without transparency, residents may lose faith in local governance.
• Fiscal Risk: Undetected mismanagement or financial errors could escalate.
• Community Impact: Financial uncertainty may lead to reduced public services and increased hardship.

A Call for Immediate Action

We urge Garfield Heights leadership and the Ohio Auditor of State to promptly address these missing audits. Transparency must be restored to ensure accountability and financial stability for all residents. Immediate steps should be taken to complete and release the overdue audit reports, confirming our city’s commitment to integrity and open governance.

Let’s work together to demand accountability and restore trust in Garfield Heights. Our community deserves nothing less than complete financial transparency.

For updates and to get involved, visit MikeDudleySr.com.

In Garfield Heights, one of the most pressing concerns for residents is the rising cost of property taxes. Homeowners are finding themselves forced to make difficult choices—whether to pay for food, utilities, rent or mortgage, medication, or their taxes. For many, this isn’t just an inconvenience; it’s a crisis affecting their daily lives.

While tax revenue is essential for maintaining public services, the burden placed on residents, particularly seniors and those on fixed incomes, is becoming overwhelming. Even with the Homestead Act, which provides some relief to senior homeowners, many are still struggling to keep up with rising costs. The cost of living continues to climb, and for many families, every dollar counts.

Seniors Facing the Hardest Hit

For seniors in Garfield Heights, the issue is even more severe. Many have lived in their homes for decades, only to now find their property taxes increasing at a rate they can’t afford. Fixed incomes don’t adjust to tax hikes, and while the Homestead Act offers discounts, it doesn’t account for the full extent of rising assessments and cost-of-living increases.

For these residents, every tax bill brings an agonizing decision. Should they pay their taxes or buy essential medication? Should they keep their lights on or make their mortgage payment? These aren’t choices anyone should have to make, yet they are the reality for many in Garfield Heights.

Homeowners and Renters Also Struggling

Homeowners aren’t the only ones feeling the squeeze. Renters are indirectly affected as landlords pass rising tax costs onto their tenants through rent increases. This makes it even harder for Garfield Heights families to afford stable housing.

For working families who already struggle with inflation, adding an increased tax burden makes it nearly impossible to stay afloat. Garfield Heights residents are proud of their community and want to continue investing in their homes, but when taxes increase faster than incomes, the dream of homeownership and stability becomes harder to maintain.

As property taxes continue to rise, many homeowners are being forced to sell, unable to keep up with the financial strain. The number of vacant homes is increasing, as some residents find themselves unable to maintain their properties and have no choice but to leave the community they once called home.

Conclusion

Garfield Heights is a strong and resilient community, but its residents shouldn’t have to choose between paying their taxes and affording basic necessities. The conversation about rising taxes needs to be at the forefront of local policy discussions. It’s time for officials to listen, act, and find real solutions that protect homeowners, renters, and especially our seniors from being taxed out of their homes.

If changes aren’t made, many in Garfield Heights will continue to struggle—and that’s something no thriving community should allow to happen. Leadership has failed to address the growing financial strain on residents, and local government continues to ignore this urgent concern. We have a plan, and it’s time for real solutions that put our community first!