Midland Park
May 11, 2011 THE VILLADOM TIMES I • Page 3
A Midland Park church narrowly escaped being part of a tax sale but will still have to pay the taxes owed the borough following a settlement reached last month. Han Maum Reformed Church will have three years to pay its $50,000 tax liability to the borough, and has already paid its initial installment of $10,000, according to Borough Clerk Addie Hanna. The church, a South Korean congregation from Paramus, purchased the New Life Ministries property at the top of Irving Street in 2009 but failed to file a “statement of exemption” with the municipality. Hanna said that repeated efforts by Tax Assessor Marie Merolla, both in person and by certified mail, to make contact with church officials were unsuccessful, so the property was assessed and put on the tax rolls for the year 2010 as required by state law. It was subsequently listed for the April 29 tax sale when the taxes were not paid and the required paperwork was not submitted. “The assessor had no choice,” said Borough Attorney Robert Regan. “Properties are presumed to be taxable unless they provide the appropriate documentation for an exemption, which they did not do.” Hanna said that church officials said that their pastor, who has since died, had been in charge of handling business. They then contested the tax liability but withdrew their objection following the borough attorney’s legal opinion based on case law on the matter. “I’m pleased the matter was able to be resolved for the church while at the same time protecting the Midland Park taxpayers. The settlement is in the best interest of both par-
Borough settles with church on tax payment
ties,” Regan said. He noted that the borough had included the tax revenue from the church in its 2010 budget and would have to deal with the shortfall. Under the terms of the settlement, the church will pay a total of $50,000 representing taxes due, without interest, with the second installment of $20,000 payable on May 1, 2012 and the third payment of $20,000 due on May 1, 2013. The agreement also provides that in the event any payment is not received by the tenth day after the due date, the prop-
erty will be relisted for tax sale for the balance of the taxes due, plus the original interest amount. New Life Ministries, a contemporary worship church, moved to the borough in 2000, sharing the building with the Eastern Christian Schools’ pre-school program before purchasing it two years later. Irving Park Christian Reformed Church had donated the property to Eastern Christian when it disbanded in 2000 due to dwindling membership after 45 years.
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