Historical February 1999 article. Dates, prices, services and contacts describe the source period; current availability has not been established.
Thank you for getting the attention of Chancellor Mark Wrighton to the needs of the City of St. Louis and the State of Missouri. Washington University no longer needs the privilege of not paying real estate taxes. Washington University and St. Louis University are decimating the property tax base of the St. Louis area.
The recent purchase of hundreds of apartments in the Skinker DeBaliviere area is an abuse of a privilege that was given to these two institutions when they were struggling to be established.
The privilege was not meant to include “living space” for individual students or employees.
The privilege did not include business ventures for the universities to purchase real estate for rental income and then not pay real estate taxes.
It is time for our state legislators to seek repeal of property tax exemptions for institutions that abuse their privileges. Every foot of property taken off the tax assessor’s records reduces the money needed to support public education and other services our children need such as police and fire protection. Al Katzenberger
Originally published in The Times of Skinker-DeBaliviere, February 1999.
Read this article in the original newspaper issue.
Original source: SD_Times1999_02.pdf, printed page(s) 2; PDF page(s) 2.
