How a city works...

[Lamplighter]

From what I am reading, the issues are along the lines of...
1) If a student can't afford today's tuitions, he/she won't go to college at all.
2) Student loan programs are getting major cuts for graduate degrees
3) On graduation, the student is not in debt with student loans.

Here is one article...

The Pay It Forward solution offers students access to higher education without debt.
Students at public universities and community colleges would pay no tuition up-front.
In exchange, they would agree to pay a small percentage of their income
(1.5% for community college, or 3% for a 4 year school) for 20 years
to “pay forward” the cost of instruction for the next generation of students.<snip>

Over time, the Pay It Forward plan will create a stable funding stream for Oregon public higher education.
As more students graduate and pay in, the fund will grow, allowing more students to participate.

In the article's example, even at an eventual income of $60,000/yr,
the "student" would be paying about the same total as the current student loan debt
(e.g. $1,800 x 20 yrs = $36,000)