Power said the University was willing to discuss the PILOT agreement, although she said it is not clear when these negotiations will occur or how long they will take.

“The city has indicated an interest in working with us to renew that agreement and we will work with the City Manager to do that,” Power said.

She emphasized that Harvard makes other contributions to the city besides PILOT, citing a report released last month by eight Boston-area universities which said that educational institutions contribute more than $7.4 billion annually to the local economy.

“The basic point is that instiutions such as Harvard and MIT create significant economic strengths for host communities,” she said.

—Staff writer Jessica R. Rubin-Wills can be reached at rubinwil@fas.harvard.edu.