February 27, 2004

Sinking Their Teeth Into Sacred Cows

By MICHAEL ARNONE

Strapped for cash, cities seek money from colleges' tax-exempt property

Facing big budget deficits and dwindling revenues in the wake of the worst economy in years, some cities have their eyes on a resource that has been largely off limits up to now: property-tax payments from local colleges.

In Pittsburgh, the mayor is threatening to make Duquesne University pay taxes on a building it wants to buy and take off the city's tax rolls. Lasell College, another private institution, is

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