Annexation would give the university the benefit of streamlining services, Merriman said. Xenia provides dispatch, fire and EMS, water and sewer services to the university through separate contracts. These agreements would be unnecessary if the university annexed to the city.
“It can certainly help reduce costs for the university if a lot of those services were provided as residents rather than as a separate service user throughout these contracts,” he said.
CSU provides a portion of the water it uses, and the city was recently asked to help with management of the university’s water plant. Merriman said it would be easier for the city to provide long-term projections for delivery of utility services if the university were part of the community.
Merriman said there are critical questions concerning the university’s aging water system and whether it needs to be upgraded or replaced. Earlier this month students and staff were unable to drink the campus tap water while waiting for bacteria testing after a water main break there.
In a previous interview, CSU spokeswoman Edwina Blackwell-Clark attributed the water main break to aging infrastructure and fluctuating weather.
In addition to cost savings for the university, the annexation would also increase Xenia’s income tax revenues. The city is working on a financial analysis of the proposed annexation but is unable to specifically say how much the city’s tax revenue would increase if the annexation were approved.
CSU President Cynthia Jackson-Hammond was not available for comment Monday.
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