Wisconsin Lutheran High School fights Milwaukee’s ‘unlawful’ six-figure property tax bill

A Christian high school in Wisconsin is suing the city of Milwaukee after being forced to pay more than $100,000 in property taxes for a building it says should be exempt, due to its religious and…

A Christian high school in Wisconsin is suing the city of Milwaukee after being forced to pay more than $100,000 in property taxes for a building it says should be exempt, due to its religious and educational purposes. 

Wisconsin Lutheran High School (WLHS), the largest Lutheran high school in the United States, has been seeking an exemption for its Honey Creek Hall building, which was built in 2017 and serves as a dormitory for international and domestic students. According to the school’s web site, WLHS has about 70 international students representing 13 different countries of origin. 

The school filed a property tax exemption with the city in February 2021 but it was denied in October. Then the school paid the property tax bill and filed a refund claim which was also denied. Now, WLHS is seeking reimbursement for its six-figure tax payment on the dorm, plus interest.   

In its lawsuit, the school argues that the full services of the building make its purpose educational because the students living in Honey Creek Hall use it for studying, tutoring, Bible study, worship and learning English. The City of Milwaukee previously assessed the property and didn’t believe it met the legal standard for tax exemption. 

“This is an important issue for our school. We have a huge gap between what we receive in vouchers and our actual costs to educate our teens,” the Rev. Dr. Kenneth Fisher, WLHS president, told CBN News. “We would much rather spend the $105,000 educating our students than paying for an improper tax. We are praying that our money can be restored to us so we can use it to further the ministry of our school.” 

Attorneys with the Wisconsin Institute for Law & Liberty (WILL) are representing the school in the suit. 

“State law provides a property tax exemption for educational and religious institutions like Wisconsin Lutheran,” said WILL Deputy Counsel Lucas Vebber in a statement. “The City of Milwaukee’s attempt to assess the school for more than $100,000 for this property is clearly unlawful.”