Christ Church to pay $190,000 tax bill Attorney: Rockaway Twp. will get its money
BY ROB JENNINGS DAILY RECORD
Christ Church of Montclair will pay nearly $190,000 in property taxes to Rockaway Township on the 107-acre tract it acquired from Agilent Technologies in August, church spokesman Marc Weinstein said on Thursday.
"They intend to pay what they owe," Weinstein said.
The 5,000-member church will not be eligible for a refund even if its Oct. 7 request for a property tax exemption is approved, said township tax assessor Mark Burek.
Christ Church is seeking an exemption on the grounds that it is a religious institution.
Under state law, Christ Church is not eligible for a tax exemption in Rockaway Township for any part of 2005 because it did not meet any of the required conditions prior to Oct. 1, 2004, Burek said.
Weinstein said previously that church employees began using the Rockaway Township site on Sept. 30 -- a key date, since any further delay might have rendered Christ Church ineligible for a property tax exemption in 2006, Burek said.
Christ Church acquired the Green Pond Road site from Agilent for $10.25 million in August and the planning board in September permitted the church to relocate its administrative offices there.
Agilent paid the first three quarterly installments of its $717,497 property tax bill, Burek said.
The fourth installment, totaling $188,111, was due on Tuesday, but there is a 10-day grace period, according to the township's tax collection department.
Meanwhile, the planning board will hold its 22nd public hearing next week on Christ Church's building plan. The church wants to build a 2,512-seat sanctuary, a private K-5 school, a fellowship hall and recreational facilities.
Planning board hearings have been under way since Dec. 15, 2003.
Well that's a start. Lets pray that there is something in the tax laws that keeps the vacant part of the building taxable. I wonder what constitues "church business". It's crazy that they can generate >5M in tax free revenue a year selling books and tapes. I am guessing that the majority of those 50 workers are working to that end. The rest are counting money. Motivational speakers like Tony Robbins missed the boat, he is doing basically the same thing but should have called himself a church, he would have doubled his profit.
Under state law, Christ Church is not eligible for a tax exemption in Rockaway Township for any part of 2005 because it did not meet any of the required conditions prior to Oct. 1, 2004, Burek said.
Weinstein said previously that church employees began using the Rockaway Township site on Sept. 30 -- a key date, since any further delay might have rendered Christ Church ineligible for a property tax exemption in 2006, Burek said.
Notice the Sept date. Although I looked in the previous editions of the DR and the original article - stated they would occupy by the end of the year. and yesterday ??? it just stated that most of the 50 employees including the REV had just moved in.......
Now you see why Whiney put the anouncement in the DR last week that they moved in on Friday. I guess they feel that if Mr. Ireland can sit in his half finished office and look out the window by Sept 30th, they will save 190K for 4th Q taxes. Does a newsparer PR stunt constitute proof of occupancy?
