Amy D.: If we thought we could sell our house for what it’s worth we would and we’d leave.

Amy D. owns a 1,140 square foot Belleville home that is currently assessed at $95,388.

“The tax bill has affected us significantly,” Amy said. “It’s a huge impact on a family financially. Especially when you don’t see a reason for  that jump.”

Amy took possession of the home in 2003 when it was worth around $124,000, or $170,121 in today’s dollars. She has paid $11,241 in property taxes since 2013, more than 9 percent of the original value of her home.

“If we thought we could sell our house for what it’s worth, we would and we’d leave,” Amy said.

“If we thought we could sell our house for what it’s worth, we would and we’d leave,” Amy said.

Amy is currently paying $2,578 per year in property taxes on her home, about 2.7 percent of the St. Clair County Assessor claimed value of $95,388.

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 could see better use of the money and I don’t feel like I see it being used to its potential,” Amy said. “The tax cap would be great so we could prepare and plan each year.”

If Amy lived in Indiana the most she could be charged in property taxes would be $953 per year or $1,625 less than what she currently pays in Illinois.

To share your story with us, please send an email including your full name, address, phone number and email address to news@saveyourhomenow.org.