Associated Press
MORGANTOWN, —
Morgantown Mayor Jim Manilla says his city needs more manpower to respond to street fires and other West Virginia University student-related incidents.
And, Manilla says WVU students should help pay for hiring more first responders.
Manilla tells media outlets that he is considering asking the university to assess a $20 student impact fee for each WVU student each semester. The fee would generate about $1.2 million in revenue for the city annually.
The mayor says it’s a public safety issue.
The Morgantown Fire Department says about 40 street and trash container fires were set following WVU’s 48-45 win over Texas on Saturday night.
Police say officers wearing riot gear used pepper spray and CS gas to disperse an unruly crowd of about 1,000 people in the student-dominated Sunnyside area.
