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Shared Fire Protection Service Between
 A Mid-Sized Public University And Its Host Municipality

Introduction

On Tuesday, January 15, 2008, at the Oxford, Mississippi, Mayor and Board of Aldermen’s regular meeting, the board voted 6 – 1 on “final terms” of a contract proposal to the University of Mississippi (UM) for the provision of fire protection to the University campus by the Oxford Fire Department (OFD).   The proposal included a schedule of costs to the University over a period of six years.   The single vote against the proposal came from an alderman who believed the proposal for the University’s financial contribution was too low.   Following the vote, University officials informally indicated the proposal would be rejected out of a belief that the proposed financial contribution was too high.

 This paper will outline the history of Oxford and the University of Mississippi’s fire protection contract(s), emphasizing recent negotiations, and the complex factors and problems involved in negotiations.   Numerous American public universities and their respective host municipalities were surveyed to ascertain similarities and differences with regard to the issue, and a table of those findings is included.   The survey is limited to mid-size communities whose home universities are more or less similar in size or population, and excludes universities in metropolitan areas.   In the course of those surveys, many of those interviewed indicated that the issue often is divisive, and may become a leading element of general deteriorating relations between “town and gown.”

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