Tony H.: Continuing to raise property taxes is going to continue to drive people out of this wonderful city.

Tony H. owns a 1,176 square foot, 3-bedroom, 2-bathroom Silvis home that is currently assessed at $118,596

“Property taxes have negatively affected us because they continue to go up and that really affects a family that lives paycheck to paycheck,” Tony said.

Tony took possession of the home in 2015 when it was worth around $112,500, or $119,680 in today’s dollars. He has paid $12,053 in property taxes since 2015, more than 1 percent the original value of his home.

“Us, personally, we had to adjust our budget,” Tony said. “We can’t do the things we want to do because our mortgage keeps going up every year because our property taxes are in escrow and our property taxes continue to go up every year.”

“Us, personally, we had to adjust our budget,” Tony said. “We can’t do the things we want to do because our mortgage keeps going up every year because our property taxes are in escrow and our property taxes continue to go up every year.”

Tony is currently paying $3,252 per year in property taxes on his home, about 2.7 percent of the Will County Assessor claimed value of $118,596.

“Continuing to raise property taxes is going to continue to drive people out of this wonderful city,” Tony said. “My wife and I have talked about moving, but we love Silvis. We just want to know if there is any way we can lower the property taxes.”

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.

“Even after we own our home, we will never be free and clear,” Tony said. “We will continue to pay property taxes. We spend about $300 per month on property taxes.”

If Tony lived in Indiana the most he could be charged in property taxes would be $1,185 per year or $2,067 less than what he currently pays in Illinois.

“I want [politicians] to answer as to why the property taxes continue to go up and if there is any way to bring property taxes back down,” Tony said.

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