Bethlehem asks colleges, hospital to pitch in $1M - NICOLE RADZIEVICH, The (Allentown) Morning Call

When Mayor John Callahan talks about Bethlehem's success, he often points to Lehigh University's picturesque campus climbing South Mountain or Moravian College's new dorms rising from the historic district. The investment in education, he has argued, is crucial to the city's cultural success. But now, Callahan is calling on those institutions to help secure the city's financial security. Nonprofits make up 19% of the city's property but they pay no taxes on that real estate. Callahan, who is looking to close a $4.8 million budget hole next year, has asked three nonprofits - Lehigh University, Moravian College and Lehigh Valley Hospital-Muhlenberg - to collectively pay $1 million to help balance the city's budget. The nonprofits have yet to respond to Callahan's request. But the 8.5% property tax increase in the mayor's proposed budget is contingent upon their contribution. http://www.njherald.com/story/20268082/bethlehem-asks-colleges-hospital-to-pitch-in-1m