Manhattan city commissioners Tuesday said Kansas State University should continue to pay for fire services. City staff asked commissioners to consider updating an agreement with K-State that since 1994 has allowed the university to receive fire services on property located outside city limits. As previously reported, to pay for those services, the city had been withholding an increasing amount every year, now around $225,000, in city/university fund revenue instead of transferring money to that fund. However, the new agreement calls for the city to provide fire services to K-State for free in exchange for the university allowing the fire department’s headquarters to remain on its property. Along with the headquarters building, the fire training facility on Denison and Kimball avenues sits on property that belongs to K-State. The city plans to remove the training facility and give back that part of the property to the university. The new agreement recognizes that both parties benefit from the relationship. The city would get rent-free land, and the university would get free fire services. However, mayor Wynn Butler said charging the university for fire services makes sense, as most of the university buildings aren’t taxed, and property tax goes toward funding the fire department. Commissioner Karen McCulloh said she’d like to see the city/university fund board restart.
Source: themercury.com
