Over one-third of fire emergency calls in the city of Athens respond to incidents at Ohio University. And with the Athens Fire Department in need of a new ladder truck, some city officials would like to see OU contribute to its purchase.

The city's only ladder truck is over 20 years old, and the Fire Department has requested a new one several times.

First Ward City Council member Kent Butler, who has been researching the subject, cited what he called OU and Athens' symbiotic relationship in calling for cooperation in the interest of safety.

"That's one of the things I really like about this area, is this cooperation and spirit of working together," Butler said.

The university has been hesitant to commit money to a ladder truck, especially considering its ongoing budget crisis.

Butler, however, pointed to universities in other small cities that have made donations for the purchase of new ladder trucks. Butler cited the city of Burlington, Vt., where he said the mayor and the president of the University of Vermont signed an agreement to help pay for city infrastructure needs and fire protection.

The University of Vermont, with 10,000 students, agreed to a three-year agreement with the city, which has about 40,000 residents, wherein the city received $900,000 annually for these expenses, Butler said.

"So here's a smaller university than OU, and a larger town than Athens, receiving financial assistance," Butler said. "And my whole take on it is this idea of cooperation."

Butler also cited examples such as the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. With 40,000 students at Michigan and 140,000 residents in Anna Arbor, UM contributed $400,000 for the purchase of a fire truck.

He also pointed to Clinton, N.Y., home of Hamilton College, each with around 2,000 residents and students, respectively. That college donated $250,000 to the city for a new fire truck. Kenyon College in Gambier, Ohio, donated $40,000 for a fire truck, according to Butler. Mammoth College in New Jersey donated $250,000 to West Long Branch, he added. And Longwood University in Virginia, he said, donated $100,000 to Farmville.

"I want to see both the city of Athens and OU succeed," Butler said. "I want to see the university flourish... And I want to see the city of Athens not get left behind. I want to see the city of Athens progress, too."

One area of revenue where the city misses out from the university, according to Butler, is in property taxes, which OU is exempt from paying. With the university owning roughly one-sixth or more of the land in Athens, Butler estimated the city misses out on around $170,000 per year, without taking into account the actual values of the property in question.

Butler also mentioned impact fees received by the city from the state. He said that in President Roderick McDavis' first year at OU, the city received $45,000 in impact fees from the state, which McDavis had OU match. From what he understands, Butler said that the university has since ceased matching impact fees.

"Again, I believe that in the spirit of cooperation, the university, the Board of Trustees, Student Senate, City Council and the mayor need to work together to create, look at, determine or build either an impact fee or plan for contribution," he said. "This is everyone's safety... You can't put a price on someone's life."

Butler suggested that a $25 per semester impact fee for students could raise $1 million annually for city safety. He said that while he understands the monetary plight of college students, having been one himself, $25 doesn't seem like too much of a fiscal burden.

The university does bring money to city coffers in the form of income taxes, Butler acknowledged. He said, however, that part-time employment taxes don't bring in much revenue. City Auditor Kathy Hecht has estimated that for every $1 million in the university's payroll budget, the city receives roughly $16,500. Total payroll figures for OU were unavailable.

As far as sales taxes stemming from the buying habits of students and university employees, Butler said this money goes to the county and the state, with the city seeing none of it.

Students, however, do contribute to local property taxes, presuming landlords include their taxes into what they charge students for rent.

Butler noted that President McDavis and Athens Mayor Paul Wiehl have been meeting on a monthly basis. He said McDavis had been encouraging in acknowledging that he is open to the discussion and wants input from students on the matter. Butler said that a plan of action needs to be presented to the OU Board of Trustees.

"The problem with dealing with the Board of Trustees "“ and this is not a slap "“ is that they're not living here in this community," he said. "So they don't see the dire straits the city faces in just trying to provide basic services."

Butler said that the cost of contributing to the city's safety expenses is far more economical for OU than setting up its own fire resources.

"The city is the only kid in town with fire trucks "“ the university doesn't have them," Butler said. "It's time for the university to play nice."

OU SPOKESPERSON RENEE Morris pointed to tough financial times at OU.

"As you know, the university is facing budget reductions in excess of $15 million for this upcoming fiscal year," Morris wrote in an e-mail Saturday. "The university is not in a financial position to be able to afford purchasing a new fire truck for the city at this time."

In a follow-up interview, Morris could not say whether the university would consider looking at an impact fee, or perhaps paying part, but not all, of the cost of a new ladder truck. She did say that OU has not received any proposals from the city.

Mayor Wiehl said Friday that the city could get money from OU if the university were feeling generous, but it's difficult to see that working out considering OU's budget situation.

"I don't see any easy way to push their arm," he said. "I don't see any easy way that they could legitimately say they're flush [enough to contribute]."

He did say, however, that if the city didn't have a ladder truck that met safety standards, the Fire Department couldn't put out a fire in the high-rise dormitory Bromley Hall on Congress Street if that were necessary.

Athens Fire Chief Bob Troxel and Student Senate President Robert Leary did not return calls seeking comment over the weekend.