The State College Borough Council has been discussing the need for more money from Penn State to pay for the town's upkeep.

Because university-affiliated buildings in the town are tax exempt, the university pays the borough a lump sum to help cover additional costs. The university pays about $775,000 to pay for the town's upkeep, but the borough is saying it needs more to pay for sanitation and extra police and fire services because of Penn State's large student population.

The town should, however, keep in mind that without the students, there would be no town.

The university provides jobs for a significant amount of people living in the area, and students, as well as their parents and alumni are a driving force for the local area's economy, particularly during football season.

There are also many non-economic benefits. Mayor Bill Welch noted in a recent article that about 40 percent of Alpha Fire Co.'s volunteers are Penn State students. Locals also benefit from free public lectures such as the Distinguished Speaker Series or other on-campus events.

The Broadway shows that tour through the area also bring in a huge amount of local residents.

That being said, the large number of students does take a toll on the town.

While the majority of students are probably respectful of residents and their property, unfortunately there is a small minority that is not.

An unfortunate number of students cause the need for additional police services. And, an unfortunate number of Happy Valley residents are more of an annoyance for the full-time residents of the area.

We should be mindful of this problem.

The university should consider plans enacted by other schools.

The University of Michigan, which is comparable in size to Penn State, uses the Ann Arbor City Police Department to manage traffic control on the streets of Ann Arbor, while the university police patrol the stadium grounds.

Charges accrued by the city's police department are then paid for by Michigan's athletic department.

It may not be a perfect system, but the university should consider other ideas to create stronger town-gown relations. The ultimate success of that relationship is what will sustain the university and the town for years to come.