The Fresno Bee from Fresno, California • 42

Page B14j Sunday Dec 9 1973 THE FRESNO BEE Property Tax Exemptions Cut County Revenue $3 Million MEUCIP LOS BAMS 0 I In 1853 the state legislature first exempted churches from property taxes In 1900 the exemption was written into the constitution The provision generally provides that buildings and properties used solely for religous worship shall not be taxed This applies to Sunday -schools and the parking lot where church members leave their can while attending services If the church leases all or part of the lot during weekdays for use by a commercial business the exemption is lost for that portion of the property The exemption also is not allowed if the church leases its building and land It is available however if the property is used without charge by -the church even if it does not own it The welfare exemption was put in the state constitution in 1944 It extends exemptions to nonprofit groups ByJoeRosalo County Goyornmont Wrltor Fresno County its cities school districts and other governmental agencies would have received about 33 million more this year if churches 'and other tax exempt groups paid property taxes at' the same rate as other property owners Churches' and various charities hospitals homes for the aged private and church schools privately owned colleges and orphanages are exempt from property taxes under two categories: a church or religous property tax exemption in existence since 1853 i and the socaUed welfare exemption Exemption of churches from paying property taxes is practiced 'throughout the country The US Supreme Court ruled as recently as 1970 the practice is constitutional In that case the court ruled the exemption does not violate the principle of -the separation of church and state and does not amount to an indirect subsidy of churches by other taxpayer The Fresno County office determines who is qualified for the religious exemption while the Board of Equalization decides welfare exemptions 'While those qualifying are granted the tax exemptions the assessor still must appraise the properties and place an assessed valuation for them on the assessment rolls just as Is done for nonexempt properties Fresno County Assessor Gerald Gard's records for the current fiscal year show an appraised value of 345784440 for church property in the county exempted under the religious use provision That converts to an assessed value of 311446110 25 per cent of the appraisaL When the exemptions under the other hospitals privately owned colleges charitable properties and are added in the total appraised value of the exempted properties is 357230550 A typical tax rate in the unincorporated area of the county this year is 3993 for each 3100 of assessed valuation I Using this figure the amount of taxes not paid because of the exemptions totals 33053769 The amount for churches alone is 31137597 COALING Neither the church nor the welfare exemption is automatic Persons seeking it must apply each year and submit documentation to support their claim ft BAKERSFIEU 20 30 40 50 to 70 80 9 1 I I 1 1 1 1 fr- 100 STATUTE MILES Public-educational television Channel 18 would serve 1 2 million in Valley i i Hiring Coverage Are Among Public TV Proposal Concerns Never before this kind of sleep set luxury at this kind of price! 7 7 TWIN SIZE 95 EACH first public meeting in August And so was one about the amount of control the educational community would wield over the star tion Fresno County Schools Supt Ernest Poore says he favors an advisory committee of education and public community representatives from throughout the valley to be appointed after the grant and license applications are approved However the list of 76 prospective committee members includes a 63 per cent representation from the education community As proposed the station would carry 10 hours of educational public affairs and instructional programs each weekday before Public Broadcasting System programs begin at 6 pm There would be four hours of evening programs of general Interest each week-night The weekend schedule would be much less ambitious but again with an evening emphasis on entertainment and current affairs Wiens said merely hooking up a link to the Channel 18 transmitter from the taxpayers Most of the supervisors want more information before committing themselves to a decision on the funding proposal although a majority of the supervisors favor the public-educational television concept Supervisor Armando Rodriguez is particularly concerned with the ethnic makeup of the station's personnel and that an affirmative action hiring program be more than just on that FCC application" The FCC application includes a section on equal employment opportunities which becomes part of a station's license However Rodriguez says many minority groups are unhappy with the way that standard section is policed There have been suggestions Channel 18 seek funds from local businesses colleges and school districts the public and various groups However there is a question of control Would business try to promote its own interests for example or seek favoritism in exchange for donations or programs? The question was asked in the The ultra new CUSHION KNIi sleep surface OF ENKALURE NYLON KNIT WITH CHEMSTITCH Available only on the Englander Tension Ease Now the elegant Englander Tension Ease is the firm mattress made even more comfortable thanks to our new Cushion Knit sleep surface of nylon quilted to foam so superbly comfortable you can see the difference with your eyes closed Available on both innerspring or real foam latex Tension Ease mattresses and featuring the quality craftsmanship and design which makes Englander the sleep-set leader everywhere! ALSO AVAILABLE FULL QUEEN OR KING SIZE By Lanny Larson Applications for the San Joaquin first public-educational television station and funding to put it on the air are heading toward Washington DC but many questions about the proposal are unresolved An informational meeting open to the public about the proposed KFPT Channel 18 to be operated by the Fresno County Department of Education is scheduled at 9:30 am Monday in the County Schools Building auditorium Items which will be discussed will indude the proposed coverage area funding sources timetable operational facilities minority employment domination by the educational community and programming Engineering consultant Dr Jacob Wiens of Wood-side who drafted the application to the Federal Communications Commission says the million watt transmitter on Bear Mountain 26 miles east of Fresno will provide service to about 12 million valley residents Most of Fresno Kings Tulare and Madera Counties will be in the prime coverage areas for Channel 18 with fringe-area reception charted info the Delano area on the south Atwater on the north Dos Palos on the west and the Sierra crest to the east Bakersfield and Los Banos are the largest population centers beyond the fringe area However Wiens believes both locales will receive acceptable picture because there are no barriers from the He said any area which wants to boost signal strength of Channel 18 to its community may install a repeater station Wiens estimates it will cost 3574113 to put the station on the air The US Department of Health Education and Welfare is being asked to provide a grant of $430583 to go with a local contribution involving donations of 345530 a $35-000 Fresno County appropriation by the Board of Supervisors existing capital and equipment value However the donations amount could increasenear-ly two-fold if the supervisors balk at allocating Fresno County tax funds for something that would serve other than Fresno County Fresno County Instructional Television Facility (proposed as the Channel 18 studio) would satisfy the normal grant requirements of HEW However Wiens and Poore have Indicated they do not want to be content with one-dimensional programming 'Wiens says the federal grants normally are disbursed in the spring and fall He anticipates some indication of feeling about the valley in two or three months and Wiens has been assured the FCC and HEW want a public station in the valley The area has the largest population in the state and probably the nation without public TV station service Wiens adds HEW will not partially fund a grant request all or nothing and that's the way it should he said He indicated HEW will want to see progress in the local fund-raising efforts before releasing money However if his timetable goes as anticipated Wiens believes the money (probably more than the amount projected) can be raised in time to put the station on the air by the first of 1975 Although the station would become part of the PBS system Wiens said there would be many months after Channel 18 is activated when it will have to rely on video tapes for programs rather than a direct network hookup FCC approval is required before a microwave into Fresno can become operational That means the Fresno outlet will not have live programming for a time Wiens said it took about 18 months to get a microwave drop into San Mateo for another public station a few years ago little that will change eh ther application is anticipated at Monday's meeting and Wiens and Poore project filing the requests by the end of this week Both are optimistic because Channel 18 apparently will be the only application for a new station to serve a now-unsenriced area with public television should' have top priority at the 313 million HEW has he says And if he and Poore are correct 20 years of frustration will end and public TV for the Valley will be a SPGA Plans To Open Animal-Spay Clinic Dr Donald Barr president of the Central California Veterinarian Medical Association who attended the said a program can be worked out in which we can use words like cooperation not Creede told members at last annual meeting is not the SPCA plan to stand still but to build on the past and improve in the future We are now handling greater numbers of animals each year I wont give a statistical report see the results of the faith in us through the voluntary donations by the general public In fact many persons have made donations to our officers as they go about the city performing their duties One benefit of a spaying clinic would be reduced dog and cat license fees A state law which goes into effect Jan 1 allows for reduced license fees if a dog or cat has been neutered An animal spaying clinic which will not compete with private veterinarians will be offered at the SPCA" Animal Shelter Superior Court Judge Frank Creede Jr president of the animal shelter pointed out no timetable has been set for implementing the operation is difficult to say exactly when we can begin the clinic because we have to guard our money in an endowment and not spend ahead of our he said The shelter operates on the interest from a 3487-667 bequest from the estate of the late Mrs Abbie Woodward Parker private donations and money donated by its membership said Creede not afford the cost of having their pets spayed or neutered although they are aware of the problems of animal over-population have'no intention of running the clinic in competition with the area's vet.