By Meghan Streit
THE ERICKSON TRIBUNE

The sun is shining, the trees are blooming— it’s that time of year again. No, not spring—property tax time. All over Lake County, property tax bills are making their way into mailboxes and leaving homeowners with “sticker shock.”

Even if you purchased your house many years ago and have long since paid off the mortgage, rising property values mean you will be faced with continuously higher property tax bills. During retirement, when many people live on fixed incomes, paying off semi-annual property tax bills can become a real financial burden.

Rising property values mean bigger bills
Lake County residents who own a house valued at $300,000 can expect to pay an average of $7,400 for property taxes this year, according to information from the Lake County Treasurer’s Office. As with any average, many homeowners will see bills much higher than that amount.

When Bill and Mary Ellen LeRoy decided to sell their Lincolnshire house, they  moved to Sedgebrook, where people pay only one monthly service package amount that includes all maintenance and repairs, wages, taxes, all utilities except for telephone, and one meal a day at any of the community’s restaurants.

Joe Harsel, Erickson’s director of community relations, says communities like Sedgebrook pay property taxes in one lump sum. “That amount is then divided up among each apartment home to create the monthly service package,” he explains.

In turn, Sedgebrook has more control and can soften unexpected rate hikes in one area or another. “A solid, predictable amount goes to the local community and keeps the monthly service package at a reasonable cost,” Harsel says.

“We don’t have to pay electric, gas, or anything. We get everything included in  our monthly service package, except telephone,” the LeRoys say.