Newly Negotiated Service Agreement with the University Will Provide $4.5 Million in Funding for General Services, $2.5 Million for University-Area Neighborhood Organizations
SYRACUSE, N.Y. – Mayor Stephanie A. Miner and SU Chancellor Kent Syverud announced today a new service agreement between the City of Syracuse and Syracuse University which will provide $7 million in revenue for the City of Syracuse for a period of five years. This service agreement, the University’s third in the last two decades and the second negotiated by the Miner administration, will provide unprecedented funding for the general services of the City of Syracuse as well as community organizations serving the neighborhoods immediately surrounding the University area.
“The foundation of our economy is built on the thriving educational and medical institutions that call the City of Syracuse home. These facilities employ thousands of workers and generate millions of dollars in economic activity. They also benefit from expensive City services, like fire and police protection, public works like snow removal, permitting and code inspections for construction projects, and access to our quality clean water system,” said Syracuse Mayor Stephanie A. Miner. “I thank Chancellor Syverud for his support in this effort and appreciate the work he and his team have put into making this possible.”
“Since I came to Syracuse two years ago, I have truly learned how much Syracuse University means to this city and community. The University is woven into the fabric of Central New York,” says Syracuse University Chancellor Kent Syverud. “Just as important, the University in an extremely powerful economic engine for the city, county and region, with an estimated $2.2 billion annual economic impact. In addition to this vast positive impact, the University also directly supports the City in recognition of services it provides. Under this new agreement, the City will benefit from a cumulative $7 million over the next five fiscal years.”
The agreement will provide significant new funding for the City’s general services. In year one, the University will provide the City with $800,000—a 60% increase over the dollar amount in the 2011 service agreement. This will increase annually by $50,000 for a duration of five years, culminating in a $1 million payment in the fifth year of the agreement, a 100% increase over the 2011 service agreement negotiated by the Miner administration. Syracuse University and its associated neighborhood is the recipient of all City services, including fire and police protection, snow removal, and water and sewer maintenance.
Additionally, the agreement will provide $500,000, an increase of 20%, in funding for community organizations under the guidance of the University Neighborhood Services Agreement Advisory Committee (UNSAAC). In addition to the University area special neighborhood district, funding will be expanded to include the Outer Comstock Association’s boundaries as well as an area of the Southside neighborhood on the West side of Interstate 81 across from the University. Representatives from these areas will be added to the UNSAAC advisory committee. The City will oversee the distribution of these funds.
Syracuse University will also provide additional support services to the City of Syracuse, including providing routine maintenance and improvements of Walnut Park. The University’s Department of Public Safety will also patrol the park. As part of this service agreement, the City and University agree to have an ongoing conversation about other University area parks which could benefit from University-provided maintenance.
Mayor Miner added, “This agreement offsets the impact of Syracuse University has financially to the City and for those neighborhoods directly in the shadow of the campus.”
The new agreement also acknowledges the many supports and contributions the University provides to the City on a regular, ongoing basis. Examples of this include: full-tuition Say Yes to Education scholarships for qualified graduates of Syracuse City High Schools, community revitalization initiatives such as the Connective Corridor, public safety support to the Syracuse Police Department, faculty/student support for educational initiatives within the Syracuse City School District, and University IT support for the City’s efforts to expand broadband.
The first service agreement, enacted in 1994, was for 20 years and was extended in 2011 after negotiations with the Miner administration for the second service agreement. In the initial agreement, neighborhood organizations received $250,000 and the dollar amount was indexed annually to the Consumer Price Index. Last year the funding level was $414,000.
Mayor Miner has made securing additional funding from large non-profit employers a priority of her administration. In addition to the 2011 deal negotiated between the City and Syracuse University, the Mayor also announced a service agreement for the City and Crouse Hospital in 2012. The hospital has paid $50,000 each year since that time, contributing for services they receive from the City. These agreements between non-profits and municipalities are rare across the country.
