We’ll warn you now, today’s editorial topic is about as exciting as folding laundry.

No one wants to talk about tax assessments. It’s not an exciting topic at dinner parties unless you are a member of a school board or a municipal board that has to develop a yearly budget. For them taxable property is as exciting a topic as what the Steelers should do at quarterback this upcoming season.

Here’s why you should care.

As the Warren County School District begins talking about its 2024-25 budget, the board is already starting with a $64,000 hole in its budget because the value of property in Warren County decreased by $1.12 million over the past year. That means YOU have to pay more taxes to receive the exact same services from the school district next year as you did last year. You will have to pay even more if you want the school district to have smaller class sizes or course offerings or extracurricular activities or bus runs to decrease the amount of time your child is on the bus.

All of a sudden tax assessments don’t seem so boring.

There’s an old battlefield axiom that if you’re not advancing, you’re retreating.

That notion is especially true when it comes to tax assessments. When we talk about the need for Warren County to grow, adding to its tax base is one of the primary benefits.

Adding a million dollars to the tax base rather than taking a million dollars away goes a long way to taking fewer tax dollars from your wallet and allows the school district, City Council, county commissioners and other local governments the ability to provide new services or projects that you want to see happen.

A property reassessment helps that situation somewhat, but to really grow the tax base means big new development that brings shiny new buildings. When those pop up, the tax base grows.

At some point, Warren County has to figure out a way to advance — or it will continue to retreat.