Vistra Corp., the company that owns the William H. Zimmer coal-fired power plant in Moscow, is challenging the Clermont County Auditor’s property valuation of the power plant and property for the 2020 tax year.
In September 2020, Vistra announced that it would close the Zimmer power plant by “year-end 2027 or sooner should economic or other conditions dictate.”
In May 2021, Vistra said it is accelerating the closure of Zimmer as the company continues its transition away from coal. Vistra will close Zimmer on May 31.
Ahead of the closure, Vistra’s Senior Director of Community Affairs Brad Watson explained that Vistra is challenging the county auditor’s property valuation of the power plant and property for the 2020 tax year.
The county auditor’s property valuation of the power plant property was $140 million. Vistra thinks is worth about 80 percent less – about $28 million.
“We are appealing the 2020 tax year because we feel that we want to pay our fair share, and so we want to seek a fair evaluation on the Zimmer power plant,” he explained.
Vistra representatives went before the Clermont County Board of Revision and then they appealed it to the state level. They are set to go before the Ohio Board of Tax Appeals on July 26, Watson confirmed.
Local governments and school districts that will be affected if the challenge is upheld are:
– New Richmond Exempted Local School District.
– U.S. Grant Joint Vocational School.
– Monroe Township.
– Washington Township.
– Village of Moscow.
– Clermont County Public Library.
– Clermont County.
Zimmer’s closure and Vistra’s challenge of the county auditor’s property valuation of the power plant and property were discussed in a meeting between Vistra representatives and local government and community leaders in Washington township on March 29.
Looking ahead, Watson said that Vistra is continuing to evaluate the site for potential investments in grid-scale battery storage, utilizing existing infrastructure; Vistra is doing this work at its plant sites across the country.