Kent City Council adopts 2012 budget
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact:
Michelle Wilmot, Community & Public Affairs
253-856-5709
Kent City Council adopts 2012 budget
Cuts, revenue increases allow preservation of essential services
KENT, Wash. – December 14, 2011 – The Kent City Council approved the city’s 2012 budget Tuesday night by a 4 – 2 margin.
While “no” votes were cast by Councilmembers Elizabeth Albertson and Les Thomas, members expressed regret about service reductions and employee layoffs.
According to Council President Jamie Perry, councilmembers focused on maintaining critical city services while pursuing reductions to provide the leanest city government possible in the face of another year of state economic woes.
“On behalf of the City Council, I want to share our sincere gratitude to the Kent residents that participated in this budget process, as well as all the hard working city employees whom we continue to ask to do more with less.
“We know we have a long road ahead as we anticipate further cuts from the state legislature. However, we will remain steadfast in our commitment to preserving, to the best of our ability, the services Kent residents expect,” Perry said.
The approved net budget projects $160.3 million in revenue and $157.5 million in expenditures in 2012. The city’s General Fund, which covers daily operations including payroll, projects $60,949,613 in revenue and $60,876,768 million in expenditures.
Highlights of the City Council’s Budget Actions
Top priorities maintained
· Law Enforcement: No reductions in the number of sworn officers.
· Human Services: Maintains 2011 funding levels for human services.
With the departure of the fire department, the original 1% calculation would have been $733k. An additional $95,600 keeps it whole for 2012.
· Infrastructure: Preserve the City’s infrastructure assets, including utilities (water, sewer and drainage), streets, parks, facilities and technology.
· Economic Development: Focus on increasing economic development opportunities that provide jobs for Kent residents.
Cost increases and required/contracted expenditures
- $500,000 towards repayment of a 2002 loan from the water fund related to land acquisition for Kent Station.
- $96,000 increase in animal control services provided by Regional Animal Services of King County, for a total cost of nearly $387,000 for 2012. The city-county contract will end 12/31/2012.
- $110,000 increase for election services and $44,573 increase in voter registration services provided by King County.
- $172,000 new expense for custodial, maintenance and security screening costs for the newly acquired Aukeen Court/Municipal Court building.
- $572,000 in utility cost increases for city-owned facilities and parks (i.e. electricity, water, sewer, garbage, etc.), as well as neighborhood street lighting previously covered by Home Owners Associations.
- $343,000 increase for state-mandated pension costs.
- $373,000 increase for worker’s compensation costs, largely due to remaining fire department claims. The City is still responsible for these outstanding claims, because they occurred prior to the formation of the Regional Fire Authority.
- $247,857 increase in services provided by Valley Communications, for a total cost of $2.36 million for 2012.
- $40,000 to provide cultural competency training to all employees.
Cost savings/fee increases
- Eliminate 35.5 positions, including 23.5 vacant positions - $2,614,110
- Restructure fees for permitting and development services – $400,000
- Apply a technology fee to permitting, parks and utility billing transactions to maintain technology systems – $240,000.
- Increase business license fees – $100,000.
- Assess an additional 4% internal utility tax to cover fire hydrant maintenance and street lighting costs – $2,090,929.
Regular meetings of the Kent City Council are cablecast and Webcast live on Kent TV Channel 21. Copies of ordinances, the Council meeting calendar, and archives of news releases can be found on the city’s website. Follow the city on Twitter and on Facebook.
Kent is the sixth largest city in Washington with a population of 118,200. A culturally rich destination, Kent features captivating neighborhoods, award-winning parks, exceptional school districts and nationally accredited police and fire departments. In recent years, Kent has experienced impressive economic growth, and is nationally known as a prime location for manufacturing. For more information, visit KentWA.gov.
