Church & State: AU protests town's plan to give casino funds to two churches

Americans United has warned officials in Boonville, Mo., not to give public funds to two churches to pay for restoration projects.

Officials in Boonville met in late November to decide how to distribute $850,000 in revenue from the Isle of Capri Casino. The so-called "850K Committee," appointed by the mayor, deliberated two nights before deciding how to spend the money. The largest shares will go to the city of Boonville and an organization called the Friends of Historic Boonville, but the committee also granted requests from other local organizations - including two churches.

St. Matthew A.M.E. Church and the First Presbyterian Church of Boonville were given $85,000 and $25,000, respectively. St. Matthew wants to use the money to replace its stained glass windows and make its sanctuary handicapped accessible, while the Presbyterian congregation is seeking the money to replace its roof.

In a Nov. 29 letter to Boonville Mayor Bud Kemp, City Counselor Paul Wooldridge and Mayor Pro Term Morris Carter, Americans United attorney Margaret F. Garrett warned that the grants violate the separation of church and state.

"We are writing to inform you that these proposed allocations violate longstanding federal constitutional principles and should therefore be withdrawn so as to avoid legal liability," wrote Garrett. She noted the city's position that the churches are considered historic but added that they are still used primarily for religious worship. She advised the officials that no decision by the Supreme Court "has eroded the longstanding, elemental proposition that public movies cannot be used to build or renovate churches."

City officials seemed surprised by the controversy but have been researching the matter. In December Wooldridge told reporters be believes the city cannot give the money to churches. "This is not a judgment on my part, it's a well-established rule by case law and Constitution," he said.

Meanwhile, the pastors at the two churches are still hoping they get the money. "We're not asking the City Council to approve our religion," said the Rev. Edwin Donaldson of St. Matthew A.M.E. Church. "We're only asking for the money to be used to maintain a historical building."

In early December members of the Boonville City Council voted to put the grants on hold while the city seeks an opinion from the state attorney general.