The question asked voters if they supported requiring private colleges and universities to invest 0.5% of their endowments annually into a community impact fund.
Worcester voters backed a non-binding resolution calling for the City to get a share of endowment funds from the city’s universities by a wide 74.8%-25.2% margin, with about 16% of participating voters deciding not to cast a ballot in either direction during Tuesday’s municipal election. The question asked voters if they supported requiring private colleges and universities to invest 0.5% of their endowments annually into a community impact fund, which would be administered locally to help finance housing, economic, and community development projects. The question stemmed from the ongoing debate over the impact of higher educational institutions and other nonprofits purchasing land in the city, and thereby taking those properties off the City’s tax rolls. While it’s been a topic of discussion in the city dating back decades, the topic returned to the forefront after Worcester Polytechnic Institute purchased two hotel buildings in the summer of 2024, with the goal of eventually converting them to student housing. WPI and the City eventually reached an agreement that the university will make payments to partially offset the financial impact of taking the properties off the tax rolls. WPI later modified its plans to convert the hotels, citing the changing financial picture for higher educational institutions.Candy Mero-Carlson. PHOTO COURTESY OF CITY OF WORCESTERWhile the non-binding resolution passed easily, the councilor who spearheaded the ballot question was defeated. District 2 City Councilor Candy Mero-Carlson lost her seat to challenger Rob Bilotta, who won with 2,022 votes, compared to Mero-Carlson’s 1,630. Bilotta had previously challenged Mero-Carlson in the 2023 election, losing by a narrow margin of 164 votes. Mero-Carlson introduced the proposal to put the question on the ballot in April, a move which received unanimous support from the council. At the time, City Solicitor Alexandra Kalkounis noted the City is not able to compel universities to participate in the fund without action being taken by the state legislature. All five private universities in the City — Clark University, Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences, College of the Holy Cross, Worcester Polytechnic Institute, and Assumption University — pushed back against the initiative, saying in an April letter the City pulling from endowments would undermine their financial health at at time where declining domestic enrollment and federal cuts are having a significant impact.Overall, voter turnout was 22.43%, with 26,126 of the 116,455 registered voters in the City casting a ballot. This total was up from the 21.89% turnout seen in the last municipal election in 2023. As is typical with elections with only municipal candidates on the ballot, turnout was significantly down from the 2024 election, which saw 55% of registered Worcester voters cast a ballot.Eric Casey is the managing editor at Worcester Business Journal, who primarily covers the manufacturing and real estate industries.
