VBy Lauren Otis, Staff Writer
Princeton University announced Monday that it had completed 2008 special payment submissions totaling just under $1.18 million to Princeton Borough to offset the impact of properties exempt from real estate taxes.
The university pays taxes on non-exempt property and voluntarily keeps all of its non-dormitory housing on the tax rolls.
The borough and university continue to engage in talks over the university’s financial commitments to the borough, although at Tuesday evening’s Borough Council meeting, officials of both entities would not comment on the substance of those conversations.
”We have been meeting with the university,” said Borough Mayor Mildred Trotman at the meeting, “and I don’t have anything to report.”
Mayor Trotman “reached out” to the university early in the year and initiated the discussions, said Borough Administrator Robert Bruschi.
”There are some positive things coming out of it. I don’t think we are comfortable discussing it,” Mr. Bruschi said.
The discussions have involved Mayor Trotman and Mr. Bruschi and Princeton University Vice President and Secretary Robert Durkee as well as Kristin Appelget, the university’s director of community and regional affairs.
”It is the university’s position that we have a six-year agreement,” said Ms. Appelget of a 2006 written agreement between the university and the borough for the university to pay the borough an annual base payment of $1 million, plus adjustments for increases in borough property taxes and university expansion, through the end of 2011.
The agreement, dated March 3, 2006, and signed by Mr. Durkee and Mayor Trotman, had an opt-out provision where either party could have ended it after three years by notifying the other party in writing by Jan. 1, 2008, a deadline which has long passed, Ms. Appelget noted.
Despite the agreement, the university has in good faith agreed to the ongoing talks with the borough over its financial contribution, Ms. Appelget said.
”What we have offered is not exactly what she (Mayor Trotman) wanted, and what we have offered up is more than what we wanted,” Ms. Appelget said, “but we have had interesting discussions.”
The university’s 2008 payment of $1,176,730.20 is an increase of $84,130.20 over its 2007 payment. In addition to this payment, the university annually contributes $35,000 to the Princeton First Aid and Rescue Squad and $20,000 to the Princeton Fire Department.
