Dean D.: We are seriously considering moving out of Illinois for this reason.

Dean D. owns a 1,487 square foot Grayslake home that is currently assessed at $189,075.

Dean has paid $86,126 in property taxes since 2000.

“It’s a huge expense now that it wasn’t before,” Dean said. “We are seriously considering moving out of Illinois for this reason. It makes things tough.”

Dean is currently paying $7,084 per year in property taxes on his home, about 3.7 percent of the Lake County Assessor claimed value of $189,075.

Dean is currently paying $7,084 per year in property taxes on his home, about 3.7 percent of the Lake County Assessor claimed value of $189,075.

“A lot of [our property taxes] have been wasted,” Dean said. “It’s certainly not for the benefit of the people.”

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.

"A reasonable tax cap would be nice,” Dean said. “I’m not against paying taxes, I just wish they were more reasonable. I think a huge part of the problem is the out of control pensions in Illinois. Something needs to be done about that. From here on out the pension system needs major reform.”

If Dean lived in Indiana the most he could be charged in property taxes would be $1,890 per year or $5,194 less than what he currently pays in Illinois.

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