Churches Putting Town Out of Business

Los Angeles Times ^ | 07/31/2006 | Lianne Hart

[ritewingwarrior]

STAFFORD, Texas — They are not the words one expects to hear from a politician or a Southerner, and Leonard Scarcella is both: "Our city has an excessive number of churches."

Scarcella is mayor of this Houston-area community, which has 51 churches and other religious institutions packed into its 7 square miles.

With some 300 undeveloped, potentially revenue-producing acres left in Stafford, officials are scrambling to find a legal way to keep more tax-exempt churches from building here.

"With federal laws, you can't just say, 'We're not going to have any more churches,' " Scarcella said. "We respect the Constitution, but 51 of anything is too much."

Stafford, population 19,227, is the largest city in Texas without a property tax, and it depends on sales taxes and business fees for revenue. Nonprofits have been attracted by its rapid growth and minimal deed restrictions. "It's thrown everything out of balance, plus providing zero revenue. Somebody's got to pay for police, fire and schools," City Councilman Cecil Willis said.

[dmw]

They should open up a bunch of all you can eat buffet restaurants there. After church people tend to flock to these places to pig out. That should help solve some of their problems. ;-)

[catholicfreeper]

That is interesting. I was wondering why so many non profits were down in that location

[MineralMan]

"This is very interesting to me because I was just reading a thread earlier that mentioned Stafford in relation to the Minutemen association."

As I just said in #39, it's the city where American Caging, Inc. is located. That's a company that processes donations and does other stuff for non-profits. It's connected with Simcox, Keyes, and a bunch of other conservative no-profits. I keep seeing the name of the company in threads about that stuff, and somewhere I read that it was located in Stafford, TX.

I have no idea what that means. Probably nothing.

[Richard Kimball]

I agree. Politicians just can't stand the idea that their hand isn't in every pocket. I heard a story about a commander of an Air Force base, back in the fifties or sixties, and whenever the local town folk would start complaining about the airmen being a problem, etc, he would issue all the paychecks the following pay period in $2 bills. When every cash register in town ended up full of $2 bills the next week, they got the point.

I find a flower shop owner complaining being somewhat odd. Flower shops should make a fortune off churches.

[catholicfreeper]

Your right I think it is in Delay District. It is right across the line from Harris COunty

[stinkerpot65]

Dulles High, we pledge to you.
We'll be loyal, we'll be true...

[RedWhiteBlue]

Of the 51, how many are traditional with lots of land and a church building and how many are someone's home on a Tuesday night?

I don't think any of the 51 are home churches, but I could be wrong. I drive through Stafford from time to time, and there are a lot of churches of many varieties. Some are the more traditional ones that you mention, with lots of land. They are typically the major churches/denominations wih names that you would recognize. Others are smaller, without much land. Then there are many that I've noticed that just lease out a small space in a retail strip center and put out a sign. Out of all of the churches, one of the most interesting is the Hindu temple, which is tucked into a little corner of Stafford very close to the city limits next to Sugar Land and Missouri City. Click here.

[Robert A Cook PE]

So, the politically corrupt (er, correct) position on this issue is "ANYTHING to maximize tax receipts" right?

BTW, nothing in here about race or nationality or "faith" of these churches, and I find it a bit difficult to understand why a true faith-based church would MOVE (rebuild) its church in a place where its PEOPEL didn't live.

Any legitimate church is already tax-free, with special minister tax protections, so WHY are these many churches moving here? There is no incentive to build an expensive church based on "tax status" of the city you're in.

[Warren_Piece]

Scarcella is mayor of this Houston-area community, which has 51 churches and other religious institutions packed into its 7 square miles.

Amateurs. Come to Nashville - highest rate of churches per capita in the country.

[mugs99]

What you wrote makes no sense at all

That's the fact of the situation. The town had enough churches. The influx is from outside and attracts worshippers from outside. These churches want the benefits of this town without paying their fair share of the town's expenses. If these outside worshippers spent enough money in the town to pay their own way there would be no complaints...but they don't. They are freeloaders any way you cut the cheese.
.

[mugs99]

Sounds like they need a good Christian bookstore and a higher sales tax.

Riight. The people of this town should pay higher taxes to subsidize freeloading outside churches.
.

[af_vet_rr]

What you wrote makes no sense at all.

You have to understand Stafford - it's small, and it blends right in with Houston and Sugar Land - if there weren't signs, you wouldn't know where one left off and the next began.

I think their problem, if I'm reading it right, is because of their location and the advantages of building churches there, they end up with a lot of land that taxes can't be collected on - now while I'm not a big fan of taxes, I understand that they could be hurting because of tons of people coming in from a mile or two down the road, attending church, etc., but not actually spending money or working there. They have a very small amount of land left that's not developed, and are facing the prospect that if more churches come in, over time they are going to have a very severe services problem, that will require either a raise in sales tax or a property tax.

That area is a very densely packed area, and I think there are even some schools within Stafford city limits that have kids coming from Sugar Land/Missouri City (I maybe wrong about that, but it seemed like there were some areas in Stafford with a lot of schools right next to each other).

[mugs99]

I guess the town is also willing to give up the revenue from 51 churches' worth of IHOP receipts, from all those people grabbing a bite to each after service

If all those people were spending money in the town there would be no complaints. They aren't.
.

[MHGinTN]

Whenever the city decides to end this charade they can just take the property from whomever because the subpreme court ahs now authorized the action to cancel the founding principles of this Republic. Thank you liberalism, your disease state is growing ever more deadly.

[Texas_Jarhead]

Not Minutemen - Simcox's group.

[SteamShovel]

He still pays no property taxes, and will hold services at any time, day/night that anyone challenges the fact that its a church!

I like that idea. People where I live haven't seen a levy they didn't like and I'm sick of it. Every year there are about 3 NEW things to pay for over last years property taxes.

[SteamShovel]

Here in Michigan a guy declared his house and small farm was a church

Maybe he could deduct 100% of his income as a charitable contribution to his "church" too....

[Beagle8U]

I don't think he pays taxes on much of anything..lol

[jess35]

I find a flower shop owner complaining being somewhat odd. Flower shops should make a fortune off churches.

They'll need to make a ton of money to pay for the services the Churches receive but don't pay for.

No organization should get a free ride at the expense of others.

[Muleteam1]

>>Church's shouldn't be tax exempt anyways,...<<

I was committed to just lurking but I should add her that maybe farmers should not have their tax exemptions either. Here in this large west Texas county, the small number of people in town are paying all the taxes to support 1,565 miles of roads and schools that rural residents also use. Having sent over $5.00 to Austin this past year for every $1.00 I sent the Feds, I've given up on the uneven way Texas deals with its property taxation. My families have been in Texas since the 1830s but check Keller-Williams realty for a super deal on some good west Texas commercial property.

BTW, I am not for heavily taxing agricultural Texas any more than I am for taxing churches but Texas has a big problem.

Okay, back to lurking.