The Republican-led Ohio Legislature’s priorities for the upcoming session are admirable, but the Today in Ohio podcast painted a bleak picture Wednesday of what state can expect from in the coming months.

With lawmakers returning from summer break, property tax reform has suddenly shot to the top of their agenda – but the podcast hosts warn that proposed “solutions” are merely political theater that will ultimately make things worse for everyday Ohioans while protecting the wealthy.

“Every single solution proposed by the Republicans to date is a loser. Every one of them,” said cleveland.com editor Chris Quinn. “None of them solve the problem that is at the heart of this, which is we have shifted funding from a broader cross section of the population to property owners.”

The podcast highlighted how Republicans are scrambling to address mounting homeowner frustration over skyrocketing property tax bills. House Speaker Matt Huffman has indicated that lawmakers must deliver “significant reforms” in October and November, driven by fear of a potential 2026 ballot initiative that could abolish property taxes entirely.

But as the podcast hosts discussed, the proposed Republican “fixes” – like capping school levy collections and limiting districts’ ability to carry over funds – appear designed to cripple public education rather than address the fundamental funding problem.

“The problem here is the Republicans are looking for ways to pretend to fix it that cripple the schools further because they hate public schools and are trying to drum them out of business.”

The hosts connected the property tax maneuvers to a broader pattern of shifting tax burden from wealthy Ohioans to the middle class, noting that “Rich people have had their income taxes cut by enormous amounts of money. The Legislature and Mike DeWine have taken billions of dollars and handed it over to their rich friends while sticking it to people who pay property taxes.”

As if property taxes weren’t controversial enough, the podcast also addressed the second major priority facing legislators: congressional redistricting. With a deadline looming at the end of September for new maps, the hosts predicted another round of partisan gerrymandering.

“Yeah, we’re talking maps again. Here we are again,” said Lisa Garvin. “By the end of September, they have to pass a new congressional map. We know what happened in the past with these maps. Seems like we’re gearing up for a similar fight here.”

Quinn offered a cynical but pointed prediction of how the redistricting process will unfold: “You can pretty much guarantee that nothing will be done the way it’s supposed to be done. It’ll be secret. It’ll violate the rules of the constitution, The Supreme Court will rubber stamp it because they’re in the bag for the Republican Party. And in the end, all of them will say, ‘it’s the best we could do.’ ”

The hosts emphasized that these patterns of governance aren’t accidental but calculated, with both property tax “reform” and redistricting serving as examples of how Republican priorities fail to address Ohioans’ real needs while further entrenching power.

The discussion served as a wake-up call to listeners – if you’re waiting for Columbus to solve the property tax crisis or create fair electoral maps, the podcast hosts suggest you shouldn’t hold your breath. Listen to the discussion here.

Listen to full “Today in Ohio” episodes where Chris Quinn hosts our daily half-hour news podcast, with Editorial Board member Lisa Garvin, Impact Editor Leila Atassi and Content Director Laura Johnston.