Roseville Advent Lutheran Church to pay no assessment

Roseville, Kavita Kumar and Laurie Blake/Star Tribune

Published Jul 16, 2002

After a long-running struggle between church and state, a small Roseville
The Roseville City Council voted 3 to 2 Monday night to change its city
More than 60 people attended the meeting, most of them church members and
The Rev. Tom Basich, who has led the church he founded for 49 years,
"The Constitution of Minnesota says all churches are tax exempt; a special
Before the vote, Basich said: "To get this $158,000 off our back now would be a
While at least two council members said that a special assessment is not a tax,
The conflict began 18 months ago when the city of Roseville sent the
City policies excuse homeowners from assessments on roads, like Josephine, that
"So we said we're not going to pay it," Basich said.

Church officials were further irritated by an offer they said they got from the city
Basich called the alleged offer extortion. "We said absolutely not, we to do it and not going to pay the assessment," he said.

The city paid for 75 percent of the project with state aid -- funds that are drawn
Duane Schwartz, Roseville's public works director, said the assessment was an
Mayor John Kysylyczyn said the majority of the council has never supported the
"The attitude I think down there at City Hall is if you can find somebody who will
Roseville's policy was not to assess homes and duplexes for road improvements
All other properties, including churches and schools, were assessed at 35 to 100
Under the new policy drafted by Council Member Greg Schroeder and approved
But the council waived the new assessment policy for Advent Lutheran and other was unfair to ask those homeowners to pay an assessment now, as would have
The two dissenting council members, Dean Maschka and Craig Klausing, said the
Klausing said it was unfair that property owners will be given different
Maschka said the city was giving special treatment to Advent Lutheran, while
"Now we are supporting a church with tax dollars," he said, adding that it could
Kysylyczyn said he doesn't think anyone should be given a special assessment on
"I can't correct mistakes that were made in the past," he said. "I can only deal
He also said businesses already pay more in property taxes, so he didn't think it
Basich said that 13 other churches in Roseville have paid assessments and that
"City councils are using special assessments, eminent domain and zoning
-- The writers are at

lblake@startribune.com and kkumar@startribune.com .

© Copyright 2002 Star Tribune. All rights reserved.
www.startribune.com/copyright. church debate merits of street assessment
congregation won't be assessed $158,000 to pay for a rebuilt road.
assessment policy and to excuse Advent Lutheran Church from being the only property owner on Josephine Road to have to pay an assessment.
supporters who wore red bandanas around their necks to show their solidarity.
welcomed the relief but said the matter must still be taken to the Legislature to clarify whether a special assessment is a tax.
assessment is a tax," he said.
very big help. We have had to be diverted from our usual religious work into a fight to preserve our very existence here."
they agreed to remove the assessment from the church.
300-member church a notice that it would be assessed $158,000 of the $540,000 cost to rebuild Josephine Road.
are eligible for state aid. That left only one of the 34 property owners to be assessed for the half-mile road: Advent Lutheran.
to lower the assessment in exchange for some parcels of the church's 11 acres.
are not going
from the state gas tax and license tab fees. Basich said he viewed the assessment as double dipping.
attempt to recover some of the project costs not eligible for state reimbursement. Schwartz, who became public works director after the project began, said he could not find evidence that the city had offered to reduce the assessment in exchange for land.
full assessment and has disagreed with the city staff about it.
give you money, take it," he said.
that are paid for with state-aid funds.
percent, Schwartz said. The initial bill to Advent Lutheran would probably have been reduced by the council, just as past assessments on other churches have, he said.
on Monday, homeowners and other property owners, including tax-exempt institutions and businesses, will pay about 25 percent for unimproved state-aid roads.
property owners along Josephine Road and West Owasso Blvd. Schroeder said it been required by the new policy, when the city told them in the past that they would be charged nothing. So he said the church should also have to pay nothing.
new policy is unfair and inconsistent.
assessments than in the past. He also said it didn't make sense to charge homeowners and businesses on the same scale since businesses attract more traffic.
other churches have had and will have to pay assessments.
become an issue raised by the American Civil Liberties Union.
state-aid roads. But he voted for the new policy to reach a compromise, he said.
with what I have here today."
was unfair to have them assessed at the same rate as homeowners.
some lost land in the transaction. Churches are running into similar issues nationwide, he said.
ordinances to work their will on churches," he said.