Bradbury Township

Mille Lacs County, Minnesota

Mille Lacs News

Since 4/18/07

"D'Angelo says the Supreme Court decision makes him wonder if he will have to find $100,000 per year to pay property taxes he thought his new facility would escape."

NEXUS Lies Exposed (continued)

Page 4/5

Monday April 19, 2010

If you're not outraged

you're not paying attention!

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Click to continue

Nexus "Fact Sheet" page 4 cont.

"Tax-Exempt Status

"Mille Lacs Academy is part of Nexus, a Minnesota not for profit as certified by both the State of Minnesota and the Internal Revenue Service." [Nexus made over $4 million dollars in profits last year. They operate a facility in Austin, MN and also have two institutions in Illinois.] "Our battle has been over property tax status. Right now we are the only agency of its kind in Minnesota that has not been granted a property tax exemption." [We haven't been able to verify this statement.] We believe this is a misinterpretation of the rules and expect our property tax exemption to be ultimately re-instated."

LIES!!!

Nexus never had property tax exemption and thus it cannot be "re-instated". Nexus has been repeatedly denied property tax exemption by the Minnesota Revenue in Mower County, Crow Wing County, and Mille Lacs County. Why? Because they don't qualify as a charity!

"All donations to Nexus and/or Mille Lacs Academy are tax deductible."

"Being a not-for-profit, receiving donations (cash, items, and in-kind) and being exempt from sales and property taxes allows Mille Lacs Academy to discount its service rate to Minnesota counties. Last year this amounted to a discount of over $1,600,000."

THEY ARE NOT EXEMPT FROM PROPERTY TAXES!!! - Minnesota Revenue states: Nexus, themselves, admit that in the past they "have attempted to solicit contribution and gifts from the general public and due to the type of juveniles that we treat we were not very successful." They further state that "in fact the cost of the fund drives were more that (sic) the donations received." Therefore, we are unable to find a reasonable basis to conclude that any donations made are from the public...

Look how Nexus blatantly and directly contradicts the findings of the Minnesota Department of Revenue! They are spreading lies about themselves, providing false information in order to gain tax abatement. Isn't this fraud????

Minnesota Revenue states: We have no evidence that services provided by the facility are at a cost that is below market. We have no evidence that shows that the cost to the residents is reduced due to the donations.

"This saves all taxpayers."

Nexus makes its money through contracts with the counties where their clients, the juvenile sex offenders were adjudicated. This money is taxpayer money. That's right. Tax-paying Minnesota citizens pay for the Mille Lacs Academy and Gerard Academy down in Austin. With tax abatement, they won't have to pay county property taxes for 7 years. They won't have to pay city property taxes for 15 years. Nexus is in a win-win situation while putting taxpayers in a lose-lose situation.

And they have the nerve to say that they save all taxpayers...

Hey Bob? Tell me again. Why did we give Nexus tax abatement?

Because Larry said to. That's why.

Oh. Okay.

"Mille Lacs Academy provides a highly specialized treatment service. There are only two other centers in Minnesota that focus exclusively on adolescents with sexual behavior problems. The Mille Lacs Academy rate is the lowest of the three programs and in the average range for all non-specialized treatment centers in Minnesota." [This conflicts with our research.]

"Contrary to some, (?) we have paid taxes on our group home and on the Crosier building since coming to Onamia in 1991."

OOPS! Didn't they just say a moment ago that they were property tax exempt and were in the process of getting their exemption "re-instated? Yet they say they have been paying taxes since 1991?

LIES!!!! LIES!!!! AND MORE LIES!!!!

Nexus paid RENT to Crosier.  Crosier pays the property taxes. For 2007, the taxes were a mere $2,690. The group home was not built until the year 2005, so there's another lie. Group home taxes for 2007 were $5,302.00.

"Our request for abatement did not include a request to abate any school taxes."

LIES!!!! LIES!!!! AND MORE LIES!!!!

We have a copy of the letter sent by Jim D'Angelo which indeed requests the abatement of school taxes! Yet, on this Nexus "Fact Sheet", there lies the lie. Nexus quit pursuing the abatement of school taxes only after Onamia school superintendent John Varner announced that if they were to apply, they would be denied! Once again, Nexus is trying to mislead us.

If you aren't outraged,

you're not paying attention.

"Our tax status is important to us as it helps us keep the cost of treatment down and allows kids to get the treatment they need rather than counties not providing it because the cost is too high."

This doesn't even make sense. $4 million dollars in profit last year, folks. PROFIT! Do you understand yet? Geez.

Bad Government

Please note that the Mille Lacs County Board granted tax abatement to Nexus, a private corporation built on taxpayer funds. The ones responsible for this travesty are Phil Peterson, Jack Edmonds, David Tellinghuisen, his brother Roger Tellinghuisen (talk about nepotism!) and especially - Frank Courteau. We informed them that figures weren't adding up and asked for a continuance until the Truth could come out. Doesn't that make sense? We were denied.

Please note that the City of Onamia granted tax abatement to Nexus, a private corporation built on taxpayer funds. The ones responsible for this travesty are Larry Milton, Jerome Kryzer, Mark Loch, Bill Hill Jr. and Bob Mickus. The Onamia city council only holds token meetings to fulfill their obligations. They do what they want.

Maybe its time to take advantage of an election year???

 Click to continue