Cathy N.: The older I get, the more resentful I’ve become of staying here

Cathy owns a 2,821-square-foot four-bedroom, two-and-a-half-bathroom Lindenhurst home that is currently assessed at $269,910.

Cathy took possession of the home in 1990. Since 2004 alone she has paid $120,467 in property taxes, nearly half the currently appraised value of her home.

“I don’t remember what they [the tax bill] were when we bought our home,” Cathy said. “We bought in 1990. In 2000, it was under $3,000 for taxes. That’s as far back as I remember. Our last tax bill was $9,890, something like that. It was bad. It’s the equivalent of two mortgage payments every month. I’ve put aside a thousand a month for the tax bill. I put away $10,000 a year just to be safe.”

Cathy is currently paying $9,724 per year in property taxes on her home, about 3.6 percent of the $269,910 value claimed by the Lake County Assessor.

Cathy is currently paying $9,724 per year in property taxes on her home, about 3.6 percent of the $269,910 value claimed by the Lake County Assessor.

“In the beginning, it actually was very hard. I had 4 four children at home,” Cathy said. “But now that we’re close to retirement age, we are very fortunate — and I do want you to know I understand just how fortunate position [with] my husband still working. I’m working full time and we have no children at home. So, we are very fortunate. However, we are also facing major — and I want to emphasize — major repair bills. In the next three weeks, we are looking at about $12,000 on repairs to the house. There is a give and take there.”

Indiana has a hard 1 percent cap on property taxes. This means local governments are not allowed under state law to charge homeowner’s more than 1 percent of their home’s assessed value per year. The average property tax rate for the state of Indiana is 0.89 percent. Meanwhile, the average property tax rate in Illinois is 2.3 percent.

“Oh we’re definitely leaving, there is no doubt about it,” Cathy said. “Right now, we’re focused on the Spring of 2020 for retirement … at that point we’re putting the house on the market and leaving. We’re going probably to North Carolina.”

If Cathy lived in Indiana the most she could be charged in property taxes would be $2,699.10 per year or $7,024.90 less than what she currently pays in Illinois.

“I would leave yesterday if it was up to me,” Cathy said. “Between the weather, the politics and the horrible finances of the state in general, this is just not a good place to be. The older I get, the more resentful I’ve become of staying here.”