AP: Akron eyes sewage system deal for scholarships
My hometown mayor is getting creative in an attempt to get local kids to stay and attend the University of Akron:
Mayor Don Plusquellic has proposed leasing the city-owned sewage system to a private contractor for up to $200 million and using the money to finance college scholarships for Akron’s public high school graduates.It’s a novel idea, but the 100 city workers who run the sewage system oppose the plan and have forced the issue on the Nov. 4 ballot. Opponents, which include some community groups, fear privatizing public assets.
… (Plusquellic) said money for the scholarships would help students attend the University of Akron or a trade school in the city, and turning over the system to a contractor would include rate caps and service guarantees.
Plusquellic said the plan would address brain drain — a migration of talented students out of the city. About 18.6 percent of Akron residents are college graduates, compared with 27 percent nationwide, according to the Census Bureau’s estimates for 2006.
