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MONTGOMERY, W.Va. (AP) — Montgomery City Council members voted against an agreement that offers economic support from West Virginia University if the city promises not to sue over the relocation for WVU Institute of Technology from Montgomery to Beckley.
The city's five council members voted against the agreement Tuesday, according to the Charleston Gazette-Mail (http://bit.ly/1mrLQ9U).
Mayor Jim Higgins, however, told those in attendance the council's vote doesn't mean the agreement won't ever be signed.
"They voted not to sign at this time," Higgins said. "And they may never sign it."
Councilman Fred Lockard said his vote was based on fiscal reasons. Montgomery has about $1 million in bond debt from a sewer upgrade the city made to accommodate the WVU Institute of Technology, he said. If the institute relocates, he said residents could be left with the debt and the city could go bankrupt.
"We have to look how this affects the town," he said.
WVU Senior Associate Vice President for Academic Affairs and Public Strategy Rochelle Goodwin said the university will continue to work to reach an agreement.
The college is in the midst of a controversial relocation, which was announced in August after years of speculation it would close. The move is set to be completed in 2017.
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Information from: The Charleston Gazette-Mail, http://wvgazettemail.com.
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