Without quick intervention the economic development center operated by a local church could be placed on the fast track to non-existence.
The property that houses Christ Missionary Mall economic development center, located at 2954 Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Street, is part of a tax sale taking place this Thursday. The sale is held each year for properties whose owners have been delinquent in paying their taxes.
The mall, which sits in an inner city neighborhood on the near Westside, was designed as a non-profit initiative of Christ Missionary Baptist Church, located two blocks away.
Since opening in 1998, the center has been the home of a full service laundromat, ice cream parlor, senior citizen center, thrift shop and small businesses operated by individuals trying to turn their lives around.
“This mall has been providing vital services to this area of our community for more than a decade,” said Rev. Melvin Girton, pastor of Christ Missionary Baptist Church.
Girton said the center serves as a workstation for juvenile and adult offenders completing service, offers job training and provides the only self-service laundry in the area.
“We also have space for tenants with a willingness to serve those in need,” added Girton.
However, according to the Marion County Assessor’s office, which calculates the value of local property, the church owes $28,743 in taxes on the mall.
Girton believes the property should be exempt from taxes because the mall is operated and owned by the church, and was established as a nonprofit 501c (3) organization. He says funds generated by the church-run enterprises and tenants don’t go to the church, but are used for upgrades on the mall and scholarships for college students.
“Before we purchased and renovated this facility it had sat idle and boarded up for many years,” said Girton. “We turned it into something beautiful, and now we are being forced to pay taxes as a non-profit.”
Marion County Assessor Greg Bowes confirmed that a handful of properties owned by churches and nonprofit entities are in this week’s tax sale.
Bowes noted that when a nonprofit exemption is not granted, it is usually because someone from the organization did not file for it by the deadline.
“That could happen if they didn’t know about the exemption and didn’t try for it and missed the deadline,” said Bowes. “Or it could be a case of bad timing where a new owner obtains a property just in time for the taxes to be collected. Those are often the two reasons why these organizations are exposed to taxes.”
Files for nonprofit exemptions are taken in by the assessor’s office, and reviewed by the Property Tax Assessment Board of Appeals for approval or denial.
Girton said his church did file for an exemption for the property, but was denied.
“They keep saying we get profits, but we’re not-for-profit,” said a frustrated Girton. “Yes, we had that ice cream parlor for awhile, but we only gave kids stipend money to work a few hours to help them avoid the drug traffic. We never made a profit.”
Bowes said his office is sympathetic to the goals of nonprofit organizations and realizes that many of them operate on small budgets, but noted that they place themselves into a new category with businesses on their property.
“We would want to give a church exemption for the religious purposes, but if they appear to have a running business they would no longer look like a church,” said Bowes.
The good news is that an organization that provides job training can still apply for a charitable tax exemption, which has to be renewed every two years.
Also, even if someone purchases its mall property, Christ Missionary Baptist Church has up to one year to pay the taxes (with 10 percent interest) before the new owner can physically take over the property.
Despite his objections to owing taxes for the mall, Girton’s church has already paid for taxes on three of the property’s lots, but is unable to pay for the fourth. The church is conducting a fundraising drive among individuals and corporations to save the mall.
“We want to continue our mission of revitalizing and rejuvenating a depressed area through small business development,” said Girton.
Regardless of who is right in the matter, residents who have benefited from the mall hope that resources can be obtained to keep it open.
Sheila Atterbury walks several blocks with her basket each week to use Flowing Waters Wash and Dry, the mall’s laundry.
“It has been a blessing to people who don’t have reliable transportation, because it is really the only laundromat around,” said Atterbury. “A lot of people come here who have washers, but no dryers, and the prices are affordable.”
Jonise Boyd, 17, a senior at Ben Davis High School, has volunteered at the mall to fulfill community service requiremetns as an Alpha Kappa Alpha (AKA) debutante and a member of the National Honor Society.
“This is a really good place that brings the community together, because we didn’t have much around here other than a gas station and convenience store,” said Boyd. “It also gives our church family a way to reach out to people.”
For more information about Christ Missionary Mall Economic Development Center, call (317)) 925-4132 or write to Christ Missionary Baptist Economical Training Center, 1001 Eugene Street, Indianapolis, IN 46208-4930.
