The Town That Wants No More Churches

Stafford Leaders Want No More Churches

STAFFORD, Texas -- The leaders of a small Texas town are hoping to put
out the "no vacancy" sign for religious organizations hoping to build there,
KPRC Local 2 reported Monday.
There are more than 50 churches in Stafford, a community of 15,000 people
southwest of Houston.
City leaders said it's not a religious freedom issue,
but rather a question of how to pay for city services
in a town that does not have a lot of choices.
City Councilman Cecil Willis recently proposed that Stafford ban construction
of new churches within city limits.
"It's not politically correct," he said.
Stafford's mayor agreed.
"They haven't run me out of town on the rail or anything,"
Mayor Leonard Scarcella said.
The problem is that Stafford does not have a property tax,
so it is totally dependent on sales taxes and business fees to fund city services.
With just 8 square miles of land, it already has 51 churches -- all nonprofits.
"They pay no fees for the firetruck, for the police car, for patching the road,
or any other operation of this city," Willis said.
Willis and the mayor said they want to preserve the land
that's left for commercial development.
But, so far, the proposal is not getting much traction with voters.
Willis and the mayor said that trend can't continue.
"It might force us to possibly go back to a property tax," Scarcella said.
The mayor said that a property tax would be his last choice.
Stafford ended the property tax in 1995.
The mayor and Willis said another problem is that a lot of the churches
are not local and are drawing their congregations from outside the city.
Scarcella said he approved letting the Living Water Christian Church
build in Stafford because it would have a local congregation.