Following the lead of other Boston-area towns, cash-strapped Belmont, Mass., is asking its resident tax-exempt institutions for voluntary payments to cover the cost of city services, reports The Boston Globe.

The payment-in-lieu-of-taxes, or PILOT, program drafted by Belmont’s Board of Assessors seeks four cents per square foot of property owned by 37 local nonprofit organizations, about one-fifth of what a private owner would pay in property taxes.

Nearby Newton, Cambridge, and Watertown have had success with similar programs, notably in securing fund commitments from universities. While some smaller nonprofit groups have agreed to pay Belmont, the Boston Archdiocese has refused to pay, and McLean Hospital, the town’s largest tax-exempt property holder, is asking for more information on the program.

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