Fort Kent looks anew at church tax exemptions

FORT KENT – In an effort to assist a local church with a tax exemption, town councilors may have opened up a can of worms for themselves.

The First Assembly of God Church, located on Route 1 east of town, has purchased a parsonage for its church. The parsonage is not located on church property, but in the so-called Belone Hill development.

Members of the church sought a tax exemption for the parsonage. Four or five other churches in town also have exemptions of $20,000 each for their parsonages. The other parsonages are on land attached to the churches, and the land on which the parsonages sit is not taxed.

The First Assembly of God was granted a higher exemption of $27,000, $7,000 of which is for the land on which the new parsonage sits.

After taking action two weeks ago, the town sought some advice from the Maine Municipal Association.

Town Manager Donald Guimond said it is the MMA’s opinion that the town cannot grant an exemption higher than $20,000.

“The MMA said we can’t do that,” Dumond said Tuesday. “Actually, they said we should be taxing the land that the other parsonages sit on, even if the land is part of the church lot.”

Guimond was asked Monday night to research the tax exemptions that all churches in Fort Kent are presently getting.

The issue may involve higher taxes for the other churches in town. The $27,000 exemption granted to the First Assembly of God may have to be cut back to $20,000.

Guimond said the exemptions may amount to a minor amount of several hundred dollars in property taxes when the review is completed.

The Town Council will look at the issue at a future meeting.