|
|
|
Local City, Church Settle Half-Way House Lawsuit
The City of Bellmead will have their way, successfully rejecting a local church’s bid to refit an old nursing home into a parolee facility, but it will cost the city - to the tune of half a million dollars.
Reporter: Micah T. Williams, KWTX Staff WriterEmail Address: micah.williams@kwtx.com |
|
15 Comments 
WACO (September 15, 2009)-The lawsuit between a local church and one Central Texas town over the construction of a half-way house has been settled out of court.
The Church of the Open Door has agreed not to build its House Where Jesus Shines facility in Bellmead but it will cost the city more than half a million dollars.
The church sued the city after the city enacted an ordinance to prevent halfway homes from being built a thousand feet from any home, school or park.
The federal trial was set to start Monday but the two sides reached an agreement that will see the city pay the church $550,000.
Under the deal, the church gets to keep the building, but Open Door pastor Ronnie Holmes says the church will probably sell the building with an eye towards building a similar ministry elsewhere.
--
Eli Ross contributed to this story.
Latest Comments
Since 2001 when RLUPA was signed into law, my neighborhood has lived with the results of a church that operates an UNSUPERVISED "transitional home" for men overcoming "chemical" addictions; who may have "dual medical diagnosis" and mental issues. Our city chose not to spend the money to defend our neighborhood against the "do-gooders". If not for RLUIPA, the home would be illegal because of proximity to schools, day care providers, other group homes, etc. We have seen alcohol on the premises, the emergency vehicles day and night when there are over-doses (and even a death due to Oxicotyn overdose), and more. This particular home was once an historic treasure. Now it's ill-maintained and falling apart in spite of huge grant monies and even HUD funding that continues to roll into the church unabated. Good families to move away replaced with renters when properties don't sell and the men don't find the help they truly need. RLUIPA MUST BE OVERTURNED BY THE SUPREME COURT!
They may have won the battle in this suit but I promise you that they have lost the war. Holmes & cult have left a bad taste in the mouths of people all over central Texas. Holmes has hurt a lot of people both in his church & outside his church. His brother-in-law who co-founded the church with holmes won't even speak to holmes. Oates pastors in Hewitt & his family has nothing to do with the holmes. It is sad that holmes preaches one thing but acts another. He does love being in front of the camera. God help him on judgement day!
They have the nerve to call themselves a CHURCH of GOD? They are no better than a pack of thieves! Maybe I will buy some property and threaten to put something there that the city does not want. I wonder how much profit I will make off of the city? I could make my living by doing that in Bellmead! It probably would not work anywhere else because they wouldn't pay the extort..OOPS ..I mean the settlement like Bellmead did. Anyway, do not call yourself a church anymore because you do a diservice to good and righteous churches everywhere!
| AP Video |
|
|
