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Middletown youth‑soccer group asks council for help after lender was billed for turf property tax
Summary
Frank Marchese, speaking for a long‑running youth soccer organization, told the council a bank paid a past tax bill (about $53,000) on a turf field the group financed and is now seeking reimbursement; he said the club believes it qualified for a 501(c)(3) exemption and asked the council to help resolve reimbursement to the lender.
At the public hearing portion of the meeting, Frank Marchese of Middletown identified himself as vice president of the local youth soccer organization and described a tax dispute arising from turf the club financed and installed years earlier.
Marchese said the club used a capital/finance lease in 2019 to acquire an artificial turf field and understood that, as a 501(c)(3), it should be exempt from taxation on that property. He said the club later received a bill showing $53,000 owed for an earlier turf installation; the club did not expect that tax liability and told the council the lender (PNC) paid the bill and is now attempting to collect reimbursement from the club.
"This was not planned for us to pay that kind of money," Marchese said, describing the shock of receiving a large retrospective bill and urging the council to be compassionate toward the youth organization.
Marchese said he had provided documentation showing nonprofit status to city staff and the mayor’s office and that staff (including the assessor) had been responsive in trying to resolve the matter, but he asked council members to help complete a remedy so the club could return to its prior tax‑exempt position rather than repay PNC. He said the group has operated for more than 40 years and raises funds to maintain facilities; the unexpected bill is a financial strain.
Council members did not take immediate formal action on the matter during the meeting; Marchese said the group had already presented details to the relevant committees (GCC and Finance) and asked for continued assistance to secure a reimbursement or abatement as appropriate.
The council did not announce a follow‑up vote at the Jan. 5 meeting; Marchese asked that the issue remain under review by staff and council committees so a resolution can be pursued.
