Locals want Princeton University to pony up more of its fair share.

Don't turn the last shuttle ride into this, folks.

"They're not being a benefactor -- they're being like the billionaire class," says 72-year old Princeton, NJ, resident Jim Firestone to Bloomberg Media about his famous Ivy League neighbor. "They want to impress you with a gift, and you say, 'Ooh, boy, that sounds big!' In reality, why is Princeton being so parsimonious?"

Emotions are starting to run hot in New Jersey's Ivy League enclave as dozens of local citizens have joined a lawsuit to see Princeton University pay millions more in taxes than it already does. Currently the school pays roughly $8 million in taxes, a huge discount it earns through exemptions. Plaintiffs in the lawsuit believe the school should be hit at a higher rate, pushing the tax bill closer to a reasonable $40 million. Local home owners have seen property tax bills double in just the past five years, but seeing Princeton pay more could force those same bills lower by a third.

The university claims it offers local residents freebies--the types of gifts Firestone references. Those freebies include free admission to athletic events and concerts, free lectures, and even a shuttle bus to a nearby Trader Joe's. If the allure of organic dried mango and overpriced plantain chips can't woo the masses any longer, the battle is truly lost for Princeton.

Princeton claims it also gives an extra $3 million per year to the town as well, purely as a bonus to cover the cost of public works and emergency services. This sounds quite charitable until you take into account Princeton is sitting on an endowment of $22.7 billion, or that the school earned $527 million through licensing income between 2005-2012 over a patent it owns for a cancer drug.

"I don't mind biting the hand that feeds me," Janet Martin, a retired university professor, told Bloomberg.

Even if that hand supplies access to Trader Joe's, Janet? Even the loss of the Joe?



In case you're wondering, a search of Google Maps reminds us that Trader Joe's is a six minute car ride away from Princeton University. The school is going to cripple locals with such strong arm tactics!!