A California church won’t have to immediately pay a $310,000 fine to reopen its homeless ministry, but it will be expected to dole out the funds in the near future.
City Church Fairfield requested that officials remove the fine as a condition of reopening their ministry, having explained that they have either fixed or are in the process of fixing the issues.
At a planning commission meeting held Wednesday evening, Fairfield officials agreed to remove the fine as a requirement for reopening, however they still expect the church to eventually pay the large sum, ABC 10 News reported.
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“We have spent over $150,000 doing upgrades,” said City Church Lead Pastor Scott Mulvey, as quoted by ABC 10. “There was some repair work that needed to be done, but not as quickly as they demanded it.”
During public comment, the commission heard from numerous local residents, including one individual who complimented the homeless ministry as “an effective program,” and one that “fits” the city’s “objectives” to combat homelessness.
Another speaker, a woman who identified herself as formerly homeless, declared that “I would probably be dead if Pastor Scott hadn’t been” in the area with his ministry.
“I thank God for that church,” she continued. “People are dying every day because they don’t have a place to go to like that. People have died because that church has been shut down.”
Other speakers also talked positively of their personal experiences with the church and how its ministry helped them in their struggles.
In 2022, code enforcement inspected the church and found a leaking roof and mold.
For its part, the church believes that at least some of these enforcement actions are based on hostility toward their efforts due to their pastor speaking out on certain issues. City Church eventually enlisted the aid of the legal group the Pacific Justice Institute.
In late September, PJI issued a press release noting that the city had fined the church over $300,000 and made payment of said fine a condition for reopening their ministry.
“The more we delve into this disturbing situation, the more shocking it becomes,” said Brad Dacus, founder and president of PJI, as quoted in the press release.
“For more than a dozen years, this church had quietly and effectively served the needy. But when the pastor began speaking out on local issues, city officials retaliated in ways that are hurting those least able to advocate for themselves.”
The church will be able to appeal to the city council. The church plans to re-open in a few months.
