Laserfiche WebLink
<br />217. <br /> <br />2004 <br />TML RESOLUTION COVER SHEET <br /> <br />Sponsoring Entity: The City of San Marcos <br /> <br />Brief Background: State universities are valuable assets in host communities throughout <br />the State of Texas. They serve their core purpose of providing higher education, and they <br />also provide employment opportunities and contribute indirectly to local revenue through <br />sales taxes on purchases by students, faculty and staff members. <br /> <br />State university facilities also contribute significantly to demands for city infrastructure <br />funded with general fund revenues, such as streets, sidewalks, and fire and police <br />stations. In several cases, emollment at a state university's facilities is more than 50% of <br />the resident population of its host city. Because state university property is exempt from <br />property taxes, however, universities have traditionally made no direct payments to their <br />host cities to contribute to the cost of infrastructure needs funded with general fund <br />revenues. The result is that the cost for this infrastructure is borne by the taxpayers in the <br />host cities. <br /> <br />What the Resolution is Intended to Accomplish: State law should expressly provide <br />for state universities to charge fees to cover the cost of city infrastructure related to <br />university facilities, and to enter into agreements with cities to contribute to the cost of <br />this infrastructure. These payments would result in significant good will for the <br />universities, and a much more equitable situation than the current system that imposes the <br />financial burden for this infrastructure on the cities' taxpayers. <br /> <br />Statewide Importance: State universities are located in host cities throughout the state. <br />A change to state law to expressly authorize state universities to charge fees and enter <br />into agreements with their host cities to contribute to the cost of university-related <br />infrastructure would create opportunities for university-city partnerships in all of these <br />communities. <br /> <br />Submitted by: <br /> <br />Name: Susan Narvaiz <br /> <br />Title: Mayor <br /> <br />City: San Marcos <br /> <br />Telephone: 512/393-8085 <br />