[Vision2020] 07-13-04 Spokesman Review

[Captain Kirker]

Visionheads:

And Idaho Code § 63-1401 states, “If any property is willfully concealed, 
removed, transferred, misrepresented or not listed by the person required to 
do so, such property, upon discovery, must be appraised, assessed and taxed 
at two (2) times its value for each year such property has escaped 
taxation.”

Since the Kirk willfully misrepresented the use of their property for over 
eight (8) years, concealing its true classification from the BOE, maybe 
Latah County should exact from them every last cent owed, including 
penalties. Perhaps this will help Doug Jones appreciate our “odd small 
town.”

I am, and shall remain, the Captain at your service.



>Moscow church properties back on local tax rolls
>Board finds some Christ Church buildings house for-profit uses
>Hannelore Sudermann  [Spokesman-Review]
>Staff writer
>July 13, 2004
>
>Two of three downtown buildings owned by a Moscow, Idaho, church and its 
>college
>were put back on the tax rolls by Latah County's Board of Equalization 
>early
>Monday.
>
>In a meeting continued from late Friday night, county Commissioners Jack 
>Nelson
>and Tom Stroschein - acting as the local Board of Equalization - voted to 
>revoke
>tax-free status for Anselm House, the headquarters for Christ Church, and 
>one of
>the two downtown buildings that house the New Saint Andrews College.
>
>Their vote was in response to a protest filed by Moscow residents Saundra 
>Lund
>and Rosemary Huskey, who call themselves civic activists. Lund and Huskey, 
>with
>the help of their attorney, Mike Curley, argued that the buildings used by 
>the
>church and the college also have commercial uses.
>
>They pointed out that Idaho law granting tax-free status to a religious or
>educational nonprofit organization's property requires that that property 
>be
>"exclusively" nonprofit. In the cases of the two buildings, one rented 
>space to
>another organization and the other had a bakery on the first floor.
>
>Huskey and Lund also argued that the college and the church may not be true
>nonprofits, since the school does not have a federally approved 
>not-for-profit
>standing such as a 501c3 tax status and that the church is operating a 
>press
>that sells books the women believe are not central to the church's mission. 
>But
>these points came second to the simple application of "exclusive" use under
>Idaho law Monday.
>
>"We are delighted that the Latah County BOE followed the exclusivity 
>clause,"
>said Huskey.
>
>She said she and Lund are grateful for the research and legal opinion of 
>Doug
>Whitney, the county prosecutor who advised the board on the law. She said 
>she
>and Lund still plan to appeal the decision on the third building, the 
>portion of
>New Saint Andrews College that remains exempt.
>
>Doug Jones, speaking on behalf of the church in which he is a teaching 
>elder,
>said the news is so fresh that he's not sure how the church will respond. 
>Jones
>is also editor of Canon Press, the publishing entity housed in the Anselm 
>House
>building.
>
>"We're still trying to be clear on a couple of things," he said, adding 
>that the
>loss of the tax-free-property status was not a big issue for the church. 
>"It's
>something we'll need to discuss in our elder meeting. We may appeal, we may 
>not.
>It's up in the air."
>
>"This whole thing has an odd, small-town feel," he added.
>
>Roy Attwood, dean of New Saint Andrews, said the church will appeal the 
>board's
>decision as it relates to the college property.
>
>"The board has been open and honest with us, just as we have been open and
>honest in all our dealings with the board," Attwood said. "Because we share
>Rosemary Huskey and Saundra Lund's concern about accurate and complete
>information in the tax process, we look forward to seeing the record set
>straight on appeal."
>
>The church pastor, Doug Wilson, who is also a permanent member of the 
>college's
>executive board of trustees, was out of town Monday and not available for
>comment.
>
>Wilson and his church have sparked controversy in the community because of
>positions they have taken on issues such as women's rights, homosexuality 
>and
>slavery. Wilson is co-author of a booklet on slavery in the South that 
>describes
>it as "a relationship based upon mutual affection and confidence."
>
>Church supporters have called the protest of the church''s tax-free status 
>a
>culture-driven attack on a religious organization.
>
>The church and school can try to regain their tax-free status by 
>re-presenting
>their cases before the board and by possibly making changes to their 
>tenants.
>They also can appeal the board's decision to the Idaho State Tax 
>Commission.
>_____________________________________________________
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>  serving the communities of the Palouse since 1994.
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>           mailto:Vision2020 at moscow.com
>¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯

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