Change comes after end of free parking
The Gilmer County Board of Tax Assessors (GCBTA) has removed tax exempt status for the First Baptist Church of Ellijay’s parking lot.
“Based on the classification of the property and the change of use, the Board of Assessors has removed that exempt status,” GCBTA Chief Appraiser Theresa Gooch said.
This decision, made at a Feb. 19 meeting, is a response to the church’s recent choice to begin charging a $5 fee for parking.
“Prior to this year, it was exempt because it was being held by the church for religious purposes and it was not collecting money,” she said.
As Gilmer’s population has grown, increased downtown traffic made offering free parking no longer practical, First Baptist Church of Ellijay Elder Del Land told the Times Courier in December. Often, church members couldn’t find parking in their own lot on Sunday mornings and Wednesday nights.
The church also experienced increased maintenance costs on the parking lot.
In response, the church put gates on its parking lot and started collecting a small parking fee.
The lot is no longer open to the public overnight. It is also closed Wednesdays 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. and Sundays 8 a.m. to noon for church services.
The church declined to comment publicly at this time.