[Vision2020] Letter to the religious communities in Moscow

[Captain Kirker]

Visionheads:

 

Hypothetically speaking, if NSA wins their appeal to reinstate their property-tax exemption, but at the same time the city forces them to abate their illegal activities in the Verizon building, will the Kirk elders still “pursue donating a comparable amount of money for city services, etc?”

 

I’d bet $1000 out of the tithe that the City would zone Friendship Square for a blackjack casino before the Wolfman ever kept a promise.

 

 

DonaldH675 at aol.com wrote: 
Below is a letter sent today to as many religious congregations as we were able to contact via email.  If any 2020 members are able to pass this along to their pastor or church leaders please do so.  Thank you.
 
Saundra Lund
Rose Huskey
 
 
  Greetings
 
We were notified today (February 17, 2005) of a posting on a local blog site http://right-mind.us/archive/2005/02/17/1833.aspx#FeedBack hosted by Dale Courtney, a Moscow resident.  Mr. Courtney writes that "local churches are in their [Huskey and Lund] sites [sic]" for violating the "exclusive use" policy that Lund & Huskey find so criminal."  He further claims that we brought a "lawsuit" that "effectively throws out all of the charitable uses of a church building" Mr. Courtney provides a list of area churches that he intends to "warn" about us.   We will not speculate on his motivation in deliberately distorting the facts of the case, beyond noting that he is a member of Christ Church. 
 
We did not file a lawsuit.  We filed a request for revocation of property tax exemption with the Latah County Board of Equalization. Mr. Courtney's allegation of a lawsuit is inflammatory and factually unfounded.  
 
Our revocation request was based on Idaho Code 62-603B.  
http://www3.state.id.us/cgi-bin/newidst?sctid=630060002B.K  
 
The property tax revocation request for Anselm House was initiated because Anselm House is used, in our opinion, in a manner indistinguishable from a commercial building.  It is not used as a church.  Idaho Statute clearly states that places of worship, parsonages, and recreation halls used by a church are exempt from property tax.  Anselm House is not a place of worship, it is not a parsonage, it is not a recreation hall.  These facts were not in dispute.
 
Anselm House houses Canon Press.  Canon Press is, historically, a million dollar a year business.   In sworn testimony offered November, 2004 before the Idaho Board of Tax Appeals, Canon Press officials indicated that the press expected approximately $900,000 in revenue for the year. Canon Press pays book royalties to the church pastor, Doug Wilson, his family members, church elders,  and members of the congregation who have published their work in Canon Press. To our knowledge, Mr. Dickison, counsel for Christ Church, presented no financial records indicating that Canon Press is a non-profit business.
 
The other property tax exemption revocation we requested referenced New St. Andrews College.  Our revocation request was based on Idaho Code  62-603E. 
http://www3.state.id.us/cgi-bin/newidst?sctid=630060002E.K
 
The statute requires  "all property [must be] used exclusively for nonprofit school or educational purposes" in order to merit property tax exemption.  To our knowledge New St. Andrews attorney, Mr. Greg Dickison, presented no financial records, (either at the local Board of Equalization hearings or at the Idaho Board of Tax Appeals) proving the non-profit status of the school.  New St. Andrews has chosen not to apply for 501-(c)(3) status.  "To maintain its integrity as a Christian institution and to avoid compromise with the federal government’s increasingly anti-Christian policies by receiving any direct or indirect benefits from the government, the College has chosen not to be tax exempt (501[C]3)." http://www.nsa.edu/mission/finances.html#contributing
 
New St. Andrews College leases commercial space to a cafe/bakery owned by a church member.  We believe this is a clear violation of the "exclusive use" clause. The Latah County Board of Equalization rendered a split decision on our revocation request.  A split decision upholds the status quo, that is, currently New St. Andrews pays a prorated amount of property tax.  We appealed that finding to the Idaho Board of Tax Appeals.  The IBTA has not announced their decision on our appeal.
 
We were warned that personal attacks were part of the price we would pay for questioning the  property tax exemptions granted to Anselm House and New St. Andrews College.  If Mr. Courtney is seeking to sow the seeds of discord and fear in religious congregations throughout the county, we strongly condemn his actions and firmly believe his efforts will fail. Religious congregations in Latah County may be assured that we have no interest in pursuing what appears to us to be Mr. Courtney's revenge-driven agenda.
 
If you have further questions about this matter, or would like to examine the full record of the local hearing, including taped testimony, the Latah County Commissioner's Office maintains the official record.  The Idaho Board of Tax Appeals in Boise maintains the records of their hearing.  A public records request under the Freedom of Information Act will provide those materials to any interested person.
 
We ask that you share this email with members of your congregation.  We have tried to reach as many religious congregations as we can with this email, but fear we may have missed some.  If you, or your congregation is a member of an inter-faith group in Moscow or Pullman, we ask that you share this communication with them.  Thank you.
 
Sincerely,
Saundra Lund                          Rose Huskey

Moscow, Idaho                        Moscow, Idaho
sslund at adelphia.net                donaldh675 at aol.com






		
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