Linda D.: We struggle monthly with if we should stay here.

Linda D. owns a 2,256 square foot Grayslake home that is currently assessed at $371,487.

“There is a significant amount of people talking about moving,” Linda said. “More than I had ever known. We’ve been looking at moving to Florida. The spending here is outrageous.”

Linda took possession of the home in 2007 when it was worth around $219,000, or $266,632 in today’s dollars. She has paid $83,201 in property taxes since 2010, more than 37 percent of the original value of her home.

“We struggle monthly with if we should stay here. We work like crazy,” Linda said. “We’re small business owners. We’ll do whatever it takes to make ends meet, but why work this hard to pay the government money that they don’t do a good job of managing whatsoever.”

“We struggle monthly with if we should stay here. We work like crazy,” Linda said. “We’re small business owners. We’ll do whatever it takes to make ends meet, but why work this hard to pay the government money that they don’t do a good job of managing whatsoever.”

Linda is currently paying $13,588 per year in property taxes on her home, about 3.6 percent of the Lake County Assessor claimed value of $371,487.

“We love it here,” Linda said. “We would love to stay here. What kind of businesses can we bring in here and how do we stop the spending and make them more accountable? Has anyone looked at this?”

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.

“I think the tax cap would help, but it would be a band-aid, not a cure,” Linda said. “We need a huge re-map here.”

If Linda lived in Indiana the most she could be charged in property taxes would be $3,714 per year or $9,874 less than what she currently pays in Illinois.

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