Johnson & Wales U. Agrees to Triple Its Payments to City of Providence

The mayor of Providence, R.I., on Wednesday announced a deal with Johnson & Wales University under which the institution would more than triple its voluntary payments to the financially struggling city, to at least $958,000 a year, the Associated Press reported. The deal is subject to City Council approval. The mayor, Angel Taveras, has asked the city’s largest tax-exempt institutions, including Brown University, to significantly increase the amounts they pay in lieu of property taxes. Mayor Taveras wants more than $40-million more from Brown over the next 10 years. He met with Brown’s president, Ruth Simmons, on Wednesday and called those discussions positive.