City task force ranks Kent’s financial priorities

A volunteer task force says city leaders need to focus on five primary areas to keep Kent financially viable.

The City Council and mayor should put their priorities on police staffing; street maintenance; economic development; sewer and water system maintenance; and information technology planning.

An 18-member Financial Sustainability Task Force delivered its preliminary report at a council workshop Tuesday night. City staff plans to set a date and time in early June for a public meeting to comment on the report. A final report is due June 30 to the council.

Mayor Suzette Cooke and three members of the council last July picked the task force of people who represent the diversity of Kent’s residents and businesses in opinions, cultures and economic status. City leaders wanted recommendations about the city’s needs and the community’s priorities as far as what services should be funded and how to pay for them.

“Over the last nine months our task force has met 24 times, so we’ve probably logged somewhere in the ballpark of 750 to 800 hours total working on this project,” task force chairman Jerry F. Coupe told the council.

The committee studied the city budget and then heard presentations from each city department head before reaching its recommendations. The group also heard from Andrea Keikkala, CEO of the Kent Chamber of Commerce; and Ralph Fortunato, interim chief business officer for the Kent School District.

The task force came up with 39 priorities before cutting that list to seven and then to five.

“Police staffing ensures public safety as a cornerstone of a prosperous, growing city,” according to the report. “Quality arterials, roads and streets are essential for good commerce, effective means of commuting and attracting business and residents to the city.

“Economic development is critical for growth and presenting Kent as an ideal city for business growth and expansion. Water, sewer and surface water maintenance are expected systems and important for growth in the city. Finally, information technology is the backbone for core city services.”

Councilman Dennis Higgins agreed with the priorities, including putting police staffing as the top priority.

“Everything flows from public safety,” Higgins said. “If we don’t have public safety, we can’t do anything else. We can’t run a business and we can’t feel safe in our homes.”

Revenue options

How the city should pay for the five priorities looms as a large challenge for the task force. The group looked at a variety of options and came up with several potential sources:

Banked property tax; implementing a vehicle license tab fee; residential and commercial utility fees; increases in recreational program user fees; and licensing recreational marijuana grower, wholesale and retail businesses (currently banned in the city).

The banked property tax would allow the city to raise property taxes and bring in about $3.5 million per year, Coupe said. A car tab fee of $20 per vehicle would raise about $1.6 million per year. Recreational marijuana businesses would bring in about $300,000 per year in sales tax revenue.

The committee also discussed increasing the rate of the city’s business and occupation tax and trying to bring in licensed gambling businesses to operate in Kent. A casino that previously operated in Kent brought in about $200,000 per year in tax revenue.

After all of its earlier studies, the task force spent limited time looking at cost savings. Cost cutting would most likely involve staff reductions because salaries and benefits comprise 65 percent of the general fund budget and 58 percent of the total city budget, according to the report. The task force said it needed more time to study revenue options and cost savings.

Higgins said cutting staff could be difficult.

“Not only is most of the city’s money going to salaries and benefits but the lion’s share of that is going to the police department,” Higgins said. “So when people say, ‘Why don’t you cut?’ I’m interested in hearing ideas for that but the biggest line item by far in the city’s budget is police and I’m not willing to cut that. In fact, I want more.”