A closed-door meeting on a proposed tuition tax, involving two university presidents and four Pittsburgh City Council members, ended today with claims that the gathering "was productive," but participants offered no details.

"It was a very productive meeting. We're going to take information back from this meeting," said Councilwoman Tonya Payne. "Productive is where we actually got something accomplished, we believe."

Asked whether the meeting was likely to affect Wednesday's scheduled tentative vote on the 1 percent tuition levy proposed by Mayor Luke Ravenstahl, Ms. Payne said: "It may. It really may.

"The members that met today, we were all in support of the mayor's plan," she continued. "But none of us are eager to tax students. But we don't want to tax the citizens of the city, either."

City officials seek $15 million for the city's ailing pension plan, while the universities that want to protect their students from a first-in-the-nation tax. Ms. Payne said the two sides are around half way to a resolution.

"They need to take information back from this meeting to their membership, and we need to actually have a conversation with the mayor," she said, before joining Councilwoman Theresa Smith in entering Mr. Ravenstahl's suite.

Council members said that Carlow University President Mary Hines and Point Park University President Paul Hennigan represented the universities. They left through a back door and were not immediately available by phone.

In addition to Ms. Payne and Ms. Smith, the meeting was attended by Councilwoman Darlene Harris and Councilman Jim Motznik.

Ms. Smith arranged the meeting, refused to provide any details and defended the closed-door nature of the gathering.

"The meetings, just so far as the council meetings go, they are just called council briefings," she said. "They are scheduled with no more than four members at a time, which doesn't form a quorum, and they're able to meet in that fashion."

University leaders have said they won't talk about other ways they can help the city until the tax is "off the table." Today, Mr. Ravenstahl said he can't take the tax off the table until someone identifies $15 million in revenue for the city.

"We cannot unilaterally remove that from the table. We have to reserve that right" until someone comes up with "a viable solution" to the city's pension problem, he said.

He said he'd be happy to enter into talks, but only if they "will produce $15 million in some way, shape or form."

Asked how two entrenched sides will be able to reach a resolution, he said the city has already showed flexibility.

"I think we've moved," he said. "I'm willing to not pursue the Fair Share Tax. And to me, that's significant. We're meeting them more than half way."

More details in tomorrow's Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.

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