today's Fairfield Ledger http://www.ffledger.com
Supervisors suspend part of school's taxes
By Lacey Jacobs, Ledger staff writer09/26/2006
Just days before property taxes are due, Maharishi Spiritual
University of America has been granted a bit of a reprieve.
Having missed the deadline to file for tax exemption, the
school turned to the Jefferson County Board of Supervisors hoping for
a tax abatement. The supervisors voted Monday morning to suspend,
rather than abate, a portion of the school's property taxes for one
year. Property taxes for the parcel of land on which the school's
building is actually located are suspended, while taxes on the
remainder of the property will still be due this year.
Maharishi Spiritual University representative Susan Tracy met
with the supervisors Sept. 11 to request an abatement of the school's
$13,000 tax bill. At that time, she explained the school, located
north of Fairfield on Highway 1, had been donated the building; she
was asked to complete an application from the auditor's office.
At the supervisors' request, assistant county attorney Pat
McAvan prefaced the board's discussion with his legal opinion,
explaining the supervisors' options.
"Does the board have the ability to suspend or abate taxes? Of
course you do," McAvan said. "It applies in two circumstances."
According to McAvan, the board can suspend taxes for an entity
that receives federal or state assistance.
In order to be eligible for abatement, McAvan said, "it has to
be that it's in the best interest of the public on top of the fact
that the person or entity is unable to contribute to the public
revenue."
He said the supervisors should first address the question about
contributing to public revenue in order to make their decision.
With the school's abatement application in hand, the
supervisors then took the opportunity to further question Tracy,
learning the school occupies about 60 percent of the building, the
other portions of which are rented out, and the annual tuition is
$12,000.
Tracy said enrollment has changed since she last met with the
supervisors, as only four girls are now enrolled in the Ideal Girls
School, and with only two paying full tuition, she said it just
barely covers the teachers' salaries.
Adding up the school's monthly household expenses, supervisor
Steve Burgmeier said the school doesn't appear to have enough money
in the bank to pay its bills, and supervisor Mike Pech said the
school appears to have more building than it needs.
"I think with the valuation that is out there on the 110 acres
that they probably can contribute to the public good. Whether they
can contribute to the public good at this point in time right now is
another question," Burgmeier said. "Do we suspend their taxes or do
we make them pay? I think those are our only two choices."
To subscribe, send a message to:
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
Or go to:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/FairfieldLife/
and click 'Join This Group!'
Yahoo! Groups Links
<*> To visit your group on the web, go to:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/FairfieldLife/
<*> Your email settings:
Individual Email | Traditional
<*> To change settings online go to:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/FairfieldLife/join
(Yahoo! ID required)
<*> To change settings via email:
mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]
mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]
<*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
<*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to:
http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
