Cambridge City Councillors are increasingly agitated over what they say are the "woefully inadequate" payments in-lieu-of-taxes that Harvard gives to the city.

In last night's council meeting, the councillors all agreed that Harvard and the Massachussetts Institute of Technology (MIT) should give the city more money.

Currently, Harvard gives the city close to $1.6 million a year in a voluntary payment in-lieu-of-taxes. As it is a non-profit institution,

Harvard is not obligated to pay property taxes under Massachussetts law.

This marked the first time the council has met publicly since councillors sat down on Feb. 13 with representatives of Harvard and MIT, for a discussion of in-lieu-of-property tax payments.

The conversation this year, as with past years, ended without the city councillors and university spokespeople seeing eye to eye.

All of the councillors agreed last night that the payments from the universities are not enough.

"Their [Harvard and MIT's] in-lieu-of-tax payments are woefully inadequate" said Timothy P. Toomey Jr.