By Brian Massie, A Watchman on the Wall
This is another example of how Treasurer Michael Zuren has “lost his direction” with his misguided policy of supporting the status quo of ever-increasing socialism in Lake County, and losing touch with the will of the Lake County citizens. We sincerely believe that Treasurer Zuren is on the wrong path. We received the following information from a Lake County patriot that is concerned about the plight of seniors and the issue of freedom and liberty.
By Lake County Patriot
I found this interesting and reinforces a point of contention from Zuren saying “we haven’t foreclosed on anyone due to unpaid property taxes” Which I believe is because responsible adults sell before foreclosure.
Friends and neighbors in Lake County….look at these shocking numbers I just got straight from a public records request to our own County Auditor
- 2022: 11,050 people over 65 sold their homes
- 2023: 9,290 seniors sold
- 2024: 8,929 seniors sold
- 2025: 9,530 seniors sold
That’s over 39,000 seniors in just four years…a massive spike that started the exact year the new property tax bills hit after the 2021 county-wide revaluation.
Here’s what happened in plain English:
The county reassessed every home in 2021 and values jumped big because of the hot housing market. Your taxes on the “inside mills” (the first 10 mills that aren’t protected by House Bill 920) went up automatically with those new higher values. Seniors got hammered the hardest because the Homestead Exemption is a fixed dollar amount…when your home value skyrockets, that exemption covers less and less.
Fixed Social Security checks don’t keep up. So thousands of grandparents who just wanted to age in place had no choice but to sell and leave the homes they’ve lived in for decades.
This isn’t “just the market.” This is our broken property tax system at work. Its designed to protect government revenue, not the people who actually pay the bills.
We’re not saying defund schools or services. We’re saying there has to be a smarter, fairer way to fund them that doesn’t force our seniors, or anyone else out of their homes.
If you’re a senior in Lake County feeling this squeeze, or you know someone who is, you’re not alone. This is exactly why we’re fighting to #AxTheTax.
ADVERTISEMENTS
Categories: Lake, Real Estate Taxes