Economic analysis: Charis Bible College cited as major local employer and visitor draw

Woodland Park City Council received an economic impact presentation Thursday on Charis Bible College and Andrew Wommack Ministries and their effects on the local economy.

Tom Bennings of Summit Economics summarized the study for council, saying the campus and related ministries act as a “basic economy” driver by bringing money in from outside the county through operations, construction and conferences. “When you total all those sources of direct dollars flowing into the community into Teller County, it totals to $137,000,000 annually,” Bennings said.

Nut graf: The report attributed significant local employment, construction and visitor spending to Charis and the ministry and identified both benefits and points of community concern — in particular, the interaction with local housing supply and the fact the campus is tax‑exempt, which affects property tax receipts.

Bennings presented headline figures from the analysis: estimated total economic impact after multipliers at roughly $184,700,000; about $72,000,000 in earnings; support for an estimated 1,056 jobs in the county; and substantial recent capital investment, including about $24.7 million in construction in 2024 and a $29.5 million budget for 2025. He said campus operations contributed roughly $100 million of the direct inflows and that college growth has coincided with notable changes in housing demand and rental costs.

The presenter noted the property used by the ministries is held by New Life Holdings and that, per county assessor figures cited in the report, assessed value on those properties is about $434,000,000 — which produces an illustrative tax amount of about $662,000 annually that is not collected because the property is tax‑exempt. Bennings said the study’s calculations show that employment and other economic activity generate taxes that approximately offset that forgone property tax amount.

Council member questions focused on services and local costs such as fire and EMS, and on whether the ministries should take on a larger role in contributing to municipal costs. Public comment during the meeting included both praise for community support by Charis and concerns about social and fiscal impacts raised by residents.

Ending: The council received the report as informational; no regulatory action was taken. Staff and the consultant said the figures will inform ongoing discussions about housing, parking and downtown planning.