Nelson County delays decision on three nonprofit tax-exemption reapplications
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Summary
The Nelson County Board of Supervisors heard reapplications from Piedmont Habitat for Humanity, Synchronicity Foundation and the Nature Foundation at Wintergreen but continued action on resolution R2025-87 to gather more information on residential use and conservation easements.
The Nelson County Board of Supervisors discussed three nonprofits seeking continued real-estate tax exemptions for 2026 but voted to defer a formal decision until the next meeting to allow staff to collect additional information.
County staff (Speaker 2) told the board that Piedmont Habitat for Humanity’s second house is essentially finished and that the exemption would be removed when the house is sold. Staff said Synchronicity Foundation has reapplied on four tax map numbers that “have been exempt for many years,” and that the Nature Foundation at Wintergreen seeks to add a recently purchased 1,422.89-acre parcel held in a conservation easement to its exempt holdings.
Board members asked for more detail on Synchronicity’s operations, including the mix of institutional activity and residential use. Speaker 5 said he had concerns separating spiritual or religious activities from residential components, explaining, “I just don't see the the value to our community outside of the value they bring for themselves,” and that he planned to vote no if the items were considered together. Speaker 3 cited the state statute the county relies on for these exemptions (read in the meeting as “58.13651”), and told the board the designation is discretionary.
After a motion to approve resolution R2025-87 was made and seconded, the board agreed to continue the matter to the next meeting so staff can supply tax-card detail, a breakdown of institutional versus residential use for Synchronicity, and information about the Monroe Institute for comparative context. No final vote on the exemptions was taken at this session.
The board requested staff prepare: (1) a residential-versus-institutional breakdown for Synchronicity; (2) tax-card or deed documentation for the Nature Foundation’s Wintergreen parcel showing the conservation easement; and (3) inclusion of Monroe Institute data so the supervisors can view the full context of exempt entities at the next meeting.