LISBON — River Town Center LLC, which owns the former East Liverpool Motor Lodge property on Dresden Avenue, East Liverpool filed an appeal to further challenge the property’s tax valuation of nearly half a million dollars.

The appeal was filed with the Seventh District Court of Appeals by River Town Center against the Columbiana County Board of Revision, the East Liverpool City School District Board of Education and the Ohio Tax Commissioner, specifically appealing the decision and order of the Ohio Board of Tax Appeals from Oct. 18.

The property in question includes 8.6 acres of land improved with a defunct motel and event space.

The Columbiana County auditor’s office valued the property at $499,100 and River Town Center filed a complaint with the county Board of Revision, seeking a value of $50,000 based on an October 2022 transfer of the property. The school district filed a counter complaint in support of the auditor’s value.

During a hearing with the county Board of Revision, a representative of River Town Center said the company purchased the property for $50,000 from the City of East Liverpool Community Improvement Center, but during cross-examination admitted the CIC transferred the property to his personal company, Dietlew, then River Town Center became the owner.

The county Board of Revision adopted a value of $250,000.

River Town Center appealed the value to the Ohio Board of Tax Appeals, which found no support for the Board of Revision value, and set the value of the property as of Jan. 1, 2022 back to $499,100, prompting the appeal to the Seventh District Court of Appeals.