Boston College donates $100K in lieu of Newton taxes

By Rachana Rathi, Globe Staff

Boston College officials presented the university's annual $100,000 payment in lieu of property taxes to Mayor David Cohen at a press conference Monday.

The university, which occupies 223 acres in Newton and Brighton, also contributed $2,860 apiece to seven local nonprofit organizations.

Boston College is the largest tax-exempt institution in Newton, and the payment in lieu of taxes, or PILOT, agreement reimburses the city for the expense of services Newton provides BC and replaces some of the revenue the city would otherwise collect on the university's properties.

The city has one other PILOT agreement, with the Stone Institute nursing home, which paid $34,460 last year, city comptroller David Wilkinson has said. In June, city spokesman Jeremy Solomon said Cohen intended to act on a recommendation from the Blue Ribbon Commission, a city taskforce, to ask the university to renegotiate the agreement and pay more.

Today, Cohen said Boston College has been "very generous" with the money and in-kind support it gives the city. He added that he would not "comment on specific discussions" with the university but intends to look "at all the recommendations of the Blue Ribbon Commission."