Date: Fri 03-Oct-1997

Publication: Bee

Author: ANDYG

Quick Words:

sewers-church-assessments

Full Text:

Churches Press For Break On Sewer Assessments

BY ANDREW GOROSKO

Church representatives plan to attend upcoming individual sewer assessment

hearings in a move to reduce payments for their sewer hook-ups.

Church representatives met with Water Pollution Control Authority (WPCA)

members September 25 to discuss the several churches' concerns that proposed

sewer assessments would place an undue financial burden on them.

Five churches own property in the sewer district: St Rose of Lima Church,

Newtown United Methodist Church, Trinity Episcopal Church, Newtown

Congregational Church, and St John's Episcopal Church.

Town Financial Director Benjamin Spragg attended the WPCA session to listen to

church members' comments.

WPCA Chairman Richard Zang pointed out that the WPCA has an appeals process

through which property owners unhappy with their proposed sewer assessments

can seek reductions.

WPCA members understand the hardship that churches will experience in paying

off their sewer assessments, he said.

"We can try to make some accommodation, if we can do it fairly," Mr Zang said.

But WPCA members don't want to jeopardize the financing package for the

$34.3-million sewer system in giving certain property owners breaks on their

assessments, he added.

The town at large has committed itself to much municipal spending to help pay

for the sewer system, he said. That spending will be built into the annual

property tax rate for the next 20 years.

"There's a risk in what might be called `the charitable thing'" in excusing

churches from paying sewer assessments, he said. Churches don't pay any

property taxes.

WPCA Vice Chairman Timothy Lachapelle said every town is unique in terms of

how it handles churches' sewer assessments.

Mr Lachapelle acknowledged that the sewer project is an expensive proposition

in terms of the approximately 820 addresses it will serve.

The approach the WPCA has taken in setting assessments represents the "high

road" and is legally defensible in court, he said.

WPCA members have a responsibility to create a fair and defensible

sewer-assessment system, he said.

"We are sympathetic [to the churches' situation] but not sure how to do

anything" to reduce the assessments without jeopardizing the financing for the

sewer project, he said.

If churches seek and receive an assessment break, then every non-profit group

in the sewer district might want such breaks, Mr Lachapelle said.

WPCA members have grappled with how to a define "church," anticipating that

individuals or organizations that aren't actually churches might call

themselves that to gain an assessment break.

In Newtown, churches are categorized as "non-residential" sewer users and

consequently have much higher assessments than the standard $9,900 residential

sewer assessment. For residential properties, the annual payment for 20 years,

including 2 percent interest, is about $600.

In descending order, the following list indicates each of the five churches'

sewer assessments and also how much each church would be charged annually for

20 years, including 2 percent interest, to pay off the assessment:

Saint Rose of Lima Church - $227,395; $13,907

Trinity Episcopal Church - $106,799; $6,532

Newtown Methodist Church - $95,064; $5,814

Newtown Congregational Church (West Street property only) - $42,439; $2,596

(The Congregational Church's church house on Main Street is being sold to

Newtown Savings Bank. The church house sewer assessment is $59,545; $3,642).

Saint John's Church - $34,389; $2,103.

Public Works Director Fred Hurley said that in order to give churches a

sewer-assessment break, the town would have to create a "church," "non-profit"

or "tax-exempt" assessment class in addition to its residential and

non-residential classes.

Members of the Newtown United Methodist Church presented WPCA members with a

petition bearing the names of 94 church members who oppose the church being

classified as non-residential, and calling for it to be reclassified as

residential.

Marty Henderson, representing Trinity Episcopal Church, noted that churches

and non-profit groups provide valuable social-based services to the town.

Mr Lachapelle said perhaps the solution to the church assessment issue is to

have the Legislative Council earmark some funding to defray church sewer

assessments.

If the WPCA cuts church sewer assessments, other sewer assessments would have

to be increased, or the town would have to cover the cost of reductions, WPCA

member Gary Sheehan said.

"We've laid this [sewer financing plan] as best we can," he said.

Church representatives asked if there is some way to create a subgroup for

church sewer assessments or some way to change the sewer regulations to help

the churches.

Mr Hurley noted that besides the church sewer assessment issue, churches will

pay sewer user fees as will other sewer users. The church assessment issue

boils down to a legal question, he said.

Mr Sheehan asked whether WPCA members should just consider assessment

reductions for church buildings only or for church buildings and other real

estate owned by churches.

Mr Sheehan noted that the principal on all church assessments adds up to about

one-half mill in town taxation.

The churches have legitimate issues that should be brought to WPCA at upcoming

individual sewer assessment hearings, Mr Hurley said. Ms Henderson noted that

other towns with sewers have created formulas that provide churches with

breaks on sewer assessments. She noted Trinity Church representatives will

attend the hearings.

Issues raised by the churches will be forwarded to the town attorney for

review, Mr Zang said. Mr Spragg noted a past proposal by the WPCA giving

churches a significant assessment break. It drew strong opposition from the

Legislative Council, he said.

Mr Spragg suggested that the churches be allowed to pay off their sewer

assessments across a 50-year period instead of 20 years. The individual sewer

assessment hearings are scheduled for October 7, 8, 14, 15 and 16. People

interested in having a hearing should contact the first selectman's office to

make an appointment.