Four times in six years, Warnock, as CEO of Ebenezer Baptist Church, had tax liens imposed against him for failing to pay for trash collection and recycling.
Raphael Warnock, Democratic Senate candidate and senior pastor of Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta, has had repeated problems remembering to pay the property taxes on church properties and his church’s trash collection over the past decade.
Four times in six years, Warnock, as CEO of Ebenezer Baptist Church, had tax liens imposed against him for failing to pay for trash collection and recycling. The Fulton County tax commissioner collects fees for trash collection and recycling on behalf of the city of Atlanta. (For those wondering if the church would be exempt, the charge is classified as a user fee, not a tax.) Ebenezer Baptist Church owns eight properties in Fulton County.
In 2010, the county imposed a tax lien of $611.19. That lien was resolved in 2013.
In 2012, the county imposed a tax lien of $605.35.
In 2015, the county imposed a tax lien of $704.98.
In 2016, the county imposed a tax lien of $673.52.
The liens for 2012, 2015, and 2016 were referred to Investa Services, a private collections agency.
When a Fulton County property owner is late in paying property taxes, the county charges interest on the unpaid sum, and penalties if the payment is more than 120 days late. Of Ebenezer Baptist Church’s eight properties, six were charged interest for late payments in the past decade, and four were charged penalties for excessively late payments. The property at 26 Jackson Street had interest charges on property taxes in 2018 and 2016. The property at 0 Edgewood Avenue had interest charges on property taxes in 2013, 2016, and 2018, and penalties in 2013 and 2016. The property at 412 Edgewood Avenue had interest charges on property taxes in 2013, 2016, and 2018 and a penalty in 2013. The property at 941 North Avenue had interest charges on property taxes in 2013, 2016, and 2018, and penalties in 2013 and 2016. The property at Dale Creek Drive had interest charges on property taxes in 2016 and 2018. The property at Campbellton Road had interest charges on property taxes in 2013, 2016, and 2018, and a penalty in 2013.
All of the interest and penalties imposed by the county were fairly modest, two-figure and three-figure sums.
According to his financial disclosure forms, Warnock is paid $275,000 per year by Ebenezer Baptist Church, in addition to making $55,000 in speaking fees, including $5,000 from the private-equity investment firm Grain Capital.