DEAR EDITOR:

This is a response to Mr. Lee Arent’s letter published on Nov. 15, 2025. Mr. Arent lacks a basic understanding of the tax collection and foreclosure process. I have never stated I am waiting for a two-year period before taking action on the matter of the Southern Park Mall because there is no action I can legally take. There is nothing “usual or customary” about it. Ohio Revised Code directs me to publish twice a year a list of all property tax payers delinquent in the most recent collection period. This I have done. These lists include only those delinquent in the most recent period. The total number of delinquent parcels in Mahoning County is 29,730 for a total of $72,731,459 in delinquent taxes. The most recently published list of those recently delinquent contained 4,463 parcels for a total of $4,529,721.

Also under Ohio Revised Code, the county auditor does not issue tax bills, or collect and record tax payments. The county auditor cannot initiate foreclosure actions.

I invite everyone to visit the County Auditor’s website for information of tax collections, delinquencies, and distributions, as well as property assessments and county financials.

RALPH T. MEACHAM, CPA

Mahoning County audit