[Vision2020] 04-28-05 Daily News: Covenantal Dishonesty Thrives at the CCC

[Art Deco]

Pastor says law being used as 'cat's paw' against church


By Megan Doyle, Daily News staff writer




Doug Wilson told Latah County commissioners Wednesday they were being used as a tool to persecute Christ Church. 

Wilson, the pastor of Christ Church in Moscow, said he is concerned with the number of tax-exemption complaints being made against entities which he serves on the board of directors, including Anselm House, New Saint Andrews College and Logos School. 

"My concern is that the mechanism of the law not be used, or not be allowed to be used, as a cat's paw for settling personal scores," Wilson said to two of the three commissioners. Commissioner Paul Kimmell, a member of Christ Church, was out of town and not at the meeting. 

County commissioners, acting as the Board of Equalization, ruled in July that portions of properties owned and operated by New Saint Andrews College and Anselm House in downtown Moscow were not tax exempt. The challenges to the entities' tax-exempt status were brought to the county by Rosemary Huskey and Saundra Lund. 

Officials with the college and Christ Church-operated Anselm House appealed the ruling to the Idaho Board of Tax Appeals. Lund and Huskey also filed an appeal with the state, claiming the county should have made the entirety of the parcels owned by the two entities taxable. 

In March, the state board chose not to rule on the appeals. Two members of the three-person state board recused themselves, upholding the decision of the county Board of Equalization. 

Christ Church and New Saint Andrews may soon file an appeal in District Court, said Greg Dickison, the attorney for the two entities. 

Huskey and Lund said they don't have the resources to pursue their challenge through the legal system. 

Huskey and Lund also recently filed new complaints about the tax-exempt status of Logos School, owned by Faith Ministries, and the Nuart Theatre, owned by Community Christian Ministries. Wilson serves on the board of director for both operations. The properties are 100 percent tax exempt. 

"In my experience, there's just nothing to compare to this," Huskey said. "There is just no similar situation." 

Wilson told the commissioners the requirements and regulations for tax-exempt entities in the county must apply to all entities in Latah County. 

"I think we should all agree that the law not just be applied to those who are the brunt of the animosity of a handful of people in town" he said. 

The women requested a Board of Equalization hearing to discuss the new challenges. The date for the hearing has not been set, but Commissioner Jack Nelson said the hearing will not occur until the Board of Equalization meets for multiple days starting June 27. 

"This is not our dream of how to spend our summer," Huskey said. 

"We're not doing this for us, we're doing this for our community," Lund added. "I don't think we're picking on anyone." 

The two women said other people from the public had come to them and asked if they had the answers to questions regarding Christ Church or other properties where Wilson sits on the board of directors. 

"We don't have to look for trouble, it just comes," Huskey said. 

The properties Huskey and Lund have questions about all have similar membership on their boards of directors, they said. 

"They're white men of privilege and entitlement, and they need to get over that," Huskey said. 

For each of the properties, Huskey and Lund have questioned the exclusive use clause of the Idaho Code that applies to nonprofit organizations or institutions. The exclusive use clause states a for-profit business, even on a portion of a parcel, cannot operate on tax-exempt property. 

For Logos School, Huskey said she questions the exclusive use clause of the Idaho Code as it applies to the school and the materials published at the property. 

"It is unimaginable to me that the citizens of Latah County should pick up the burden of taxes for Logos School," Huskey said. 

She has asked the county prosecutor to issue a discovery request for a variety of documents ranging from the tax-exempt status application request made by Faith Ministries, copies of past tax filings, copies of merchandise catalogs produced by Logos School Materials, and copies of royalty payments made to authors of materials published by the school. 

"I have no doubt that Logos is entitled to the tax-exemption status," Dickison said. He is preparing to argue on behalf of Logos School for the expected board of equalization hearing. He said he could not speak on behalf of Community Christian Ministries and the other tax-exemption complaint filed by Huskey and Lund. 

Huskey and Lund also asked the prosecutor to issue a discovery request for documents related to the Nuart Theatre. Requested documents include proof of nonprofit status, copies of past tax filings, and information regarding rental, leasing or reservation of the property owned by Community Christian Ministries. 

"We believe that the information that's publicly available raises questions," Lund said. 

"People need to feel that there's justice, fairness and equity in our laws," she added. 

Megan Doyle can be reached 

at (208) 882-5561, ext. 237, or by 

e-mail at mdoyle at dnews.com. 


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