Religious group up in arms over ‘Double Taxation’ of water bills
Revving up for the battle of the budget
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By Chinta Strausberg
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A diverse religious group that is collecting letters of support calling on the mayor and the City Council to restore the water exemption for their institutions is opposed to the “double taxation†created by the city when the aldermen passed a bill forcing them to pay for their water—an act that is devastating their budgets and cutting their social service programs.
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When the City Council passed an ordinance on November 16, 2011 removing the water fee exemption for Chicago not-for-profits including religious institutions, it created a huge financial burden that is already forcing some religious leaders to cut social services just to pay for their water bills. They argue their members pay for their own water bills and will now have to pay for their religious institutions.
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The Interfaith Coalition to Restore the Water Fee Exemption for Religious Institutions will be meeting again 10 a.m. on Tuesday, October 16, 2012 at the St. Paul Church of God in Christ Community Development Ministries, Inc., 4550 S. Wabash Avenue, where all religious leaders in Chicago are asked to attend for a united strategy session.
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They are asked to bring their signed letters addressed to the aldermen to Tuesday’s meeting so they can get a more accurate count and level of support they need to secure the support of 27 aldermen willing to vote in favor of restoring the water fee exemption.
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Last Tuesday, Elder Kevin A. Ford, St. Paul Community Development Ministries, Amy Schachman, project manager, Partners for Sacred Places, Rev. Leonard DeVille, Alpha Temple MBC, posed in front of more than 8,000 signatures that asked the mayor and the City Council to permanently and retroactively restore the water exemption for churches, associated schools and related religious ministries and institutions in the communities of Chicago.
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Ford said more petitions will be turned in and ultimately presented to the City Council in time for the budget amendment process begins. DeVille said the petitions would be a reminder that “election day is coming and that if they can’t work with us we will not be able to work with them.â€
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Reminded that the mayoral and aldermanic elections are two-years away and voters usually forget issues like this, DeVille, who is the former alderman of the 21st Ward, said, “We are not going to let our members or our community forget. It’s double taxation,†said DeVille. “Many of my church also own homes like a lot of other churches. They are paying taxes on their homes, and then pay taxes at church…. We use our churches for the community that need our help….â€
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Ford said the religious leaders have reached out to Schachman who has partnered with the group that has developed a methodology to place a dollar value on services the religious institutions provide.
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She and the clergy will be presenting the figures to the City Council as proof that religious institutions provide social services to their communities “that help keep people alive.†It will also show how these water bills negatively impact their budgets forcing them to slash their social programs in order to survive.
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Schachman said the Partners for Sacred Places piloted a study in 2010 that proved that the average religious institution provided $4.3 million worth of social services. She said one church in Chicago that operates on a $75,000-a-year-budget actually generate $1-$3 million in social services. These churches, she said, would be hardest hit by the water bills and meter installation fees.
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Ford asked that all religious leaders attend next Tuesday’s meeting to formalize their strategy to get the City Council to pass an ordinance removing the water fee exemption that is drowning their budgets.
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DeVille said if the religious institutions are forced to cut their social service programs that mean, “the city will have to pick them up and where are they going to find the funds to provide these services.â€
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Ford said under the new city ordinance, religious leaders are currently receiving 60 percent discount on this year’s water bill; however, next year it goes down to 40 percent, then 20 percent in 2014 and by the year 2015 it will be zero. “That means we will be paying full amount for our water bills.†“It will have dramatic ramifications across the city of Chicago because we won’t be able to offer these services.â€
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Two-years ago, the Partners for Sacred Places and the University of Pennsylvania School of Social Policy and Practice conducted a pilot study of the economic impact of houses of worship. They found that 12 Philadelphia congregations contributed $52 million in annual economic value to the city of Philadelphia for an average of $4.3 million per congregation.
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The study stated that by “assessing over 50 different factors, the Halo Effect research has pioneered a new quantitative approach to understanding how congregations impact local economies.â€
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Religious Leaders are being asked to RSVP for Tuesday’s, October 16th 10 a.m. meeting, by Monday, October 15, 2012, to Jennifer Shankie, Archdiocese of Chicago Real Estate Data Analyst, at: 312.534.8791 or e-mail her at: jshankie@archchicago.org.
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Chinta Strausberg is a Journalist of more than 33-years, a former political reporter and a current PCC Network talk show host. You can e-mail Strausberg at: Chintabernie@aol.com.
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