ITHACA, N.Y. (WHCU) – Ithaca and Cornell have come to an agreement to increase the school’s contributions to the city.

News of the agreement came in the form of a joint statement by Ithaca Mayor Laura Lewis and Cornell University President Martha Pollack. The increase comes with the 21-year extension of the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU), which was negotiated over a period of five months. Just a week ago, Mayor Laura Lewis released a statement that negotiations between the city and Cornell had ceased after the two sides could not reach an agreement.

The University is increasing its annual contribution to $4 million dollars, effective this year, up from $1.6 million. The agreement is subject to the approval of the Ithaca Common Council and Cornell University Board of Trustees. Read the full joint statement from Mayor Lewis and President Pollack below.

Joint Statement by

City of Ithaca Mayor Laura Lewis and Cornell University President Martha E. Pollack

For over 150 years, the City of Ithaca and Cornell have recognized the importance of each entity to the other and to the quality of life of city residents. Cornell would not be Cornell without the city, and Ithaca would not be Ithaca without Cornell. We share a bond that transcends so much of who we are.

Over the last five months, negotiating teams representing the City of Ithaca and Cornell have worked hard to reach an agreement to extend the Memorandum of Understanding that defines Cornell’s voluntary contribution to the city. The last such negotiation concluded fully twenty years ago. We are very pleased to announce today that we have reached an agreement in principle that, subject to approval by the Ithaca Common Council and Cornell University Board of Trustees, will provide the city and its residents immediate and significant new financial resources.

Once approved, Cornell will begin providing a $4 million voluntary annual contribution to the city. This increase would go into effect immediately (with Cornell providing the city an additional $2.4 million over its current-year contribution of $1.6 million). The $4 million contribution will be adjusted annually for inflation for the 21-year length of the MOU.

Importantly, 80% of each year’s contribution will be unrestricted, affording city officials broad discretion to invest the funds for the well-being of city residents. The remaining amount would support city infrastructure and other priority projects of mutual interest. The university will also provide a $100,000 annual grant for a Cornell faculty member to collaborate with the city on issues such as sustainability. 

In addition to the new voluntary contribution, President Pollack notes that Cornell will continue to provide annual funding to support critical community priorities such as TCAT, the Community Housing Development Fund, the Ithaca City School District, numerous local non-profits, and a range of municipal-like services that support the Ithaca campus such as public safety, snow removal, sidewalk construction, and paving. 

Pending approval by the Common Council and the Cornell board, this new agreement will further strengthen our critical relationship and partnership for the long-term, for the benefit of the people of the city. 

We want to thank the team of negotiators whose dedication helped to bring us to this important moment:

For the city: Mayor Laura Lewis, Common Council member Rob Gearhart, Common Council member Kris Haines-Sharp, Chief of Staff Deb Mohlenhoff, City Controller Steve Thayer, and City Attorney Ari Lavine.

For Cornell: Vice President for University Relations Joel Malina, Vice President for Budget and Planning Laura Syer, Vice President for Finance Simon Allen, Associate Vice President for Community Relations Gary Stewart, and Associate General Counsel Jared Pittman.