City of Washington–Washington & Jefferson College relations
The relationship was strained through the latter half of the 20th century, however, as the college pursued an expansion policy that clashed with the residential neighborhood.
Separately, the City of Washington passed an ordinance that levied a municipal "service fee" against the College students, which was ruled to be illegal and was struck down.
[1][2] In the early years, a number of prominent residents worked to secure the future of the college, including the leader of the Whiskey Rebellion, David Bradford, who served as an early trustee and helped build McMillan Hall, and Matthew Brown, who was the first Principal of Washington Academy and First Presbyterian Church of Washington.
[6] Burnett maintained that the expansion was beneficial to the community and that the opposition came from a small and non-representative group on Wade Avenue.
[10][11] Notably, one 140-year-old farm house at 137 South Wade Street, which the college had acquired in 1977 after being vacant for several years, was moved to a new location outside of town.
[12] According to the trial court, Washington & Jefferson College was not a "purely public charity", failing four of five criteria in the Hospital Utilization Project case.
[12] Specifically, Judge Terputac opined that the college had been founded as a purely public charity, but had morphed into an "enterprise of big business.
[13] According to the court, the lower court was correct in concluding that the college did in fact satisfy the five requirements for an entity to be considered a "purely public charity," a standard that was set out in the Hospital Utilization Project case: "1) advance a charitable purpose; 2) donate or render gratuitously a substantial portion of its services; 3) benefit a substantial and indefinite class of persons who are legitimate subjects of charity; 4) relieve the government of some of its burden; and 5) operate entirely free from private profit motive.
"[13] In response to these legal challenges over Washington & Jefferson College's tax-exempt status, the Pennsylvania General Assembly unanimously passed House Bill 55 of 1997, the Institutions of Purely Public Charity Act.
[16] The bill clarified the law and has had a long-term impact on other nonprofits besides private colleges, including hospitals, nursing homes, and public universities.
[16] Brian C. Mitchell, President of the Council of Independent Colleges and Universities of Pennsylvania (CICU), was instrumental in getting the bill enacted.
[21][22] After Brian C. Mitchell was installed as W&J President in 1998, he was surprised at the poor state of the college's relations with the city of Washington.
[25] In April 2008, the location of the Swanson Science Center had to be shifted several feet towards Maiden Street after three members of the Washington City Council voted to reject an offer from the College to purchase Strawberry Alley, which runs through the campus.
Somes ran on a libertarian platform of, "demolishing abandoned structures that contribute to the opioid crisis, decriminalizing possession of small amounts of marijuana within city limits, cutting any wasteful expenditures, and investigating outdated or unnecessary ordinances.
"[30] Somes was endorsed by the Pennsylvania Young Democrats and the Libertarian Party of Washington County via social media.
