With a vote of 4-3, the Kent City Council members approved an anemic budget that fails to avoid a fiscal calamity down the road.
There was no political will to pressure valley businesses into paying a business and occupation (B&O) tax comparable to that assessed in other Washington cities.
The Chamber of Commerce was adamant in its refusal to pay its fair share in support of the city in which it does business. The $5 million guesstimate assigned to street and roads will be short a couple of million to do the job properly. The business community refused dollars in support of city administration except for the $300,000 for setup. The bare minimum.
The Kent valley houses the third largest small-manufacturing complex in the U.S. You would think, as responsible citizens and business owners, that the business community would want their city to be prosperous and on sound financial footing. They reluctantly relented to a meager B&O because they had no defense against the charge that they are the primary culprit when it comes to road damage from large commercial trucks. But the business community had no interest in contributing to the city’s parks, human services and administration.
The ShoWare Center is another elephant in the room. It’s a trophy arena that’s hemorrhaging hundreds of thousands of dollars with no end in sight. It probably needs to be closed, but as long as nearby businesses are benefiting from the arena traffic, the city will continue to go in debt because, again, business interests and profits prevail over the city’s financial well-being.
Homeowners will continue to be presented with propositions to fund the parks and other services, while businesses will rally to prevent any further increase in the B&O tax.
Perhaps the council members figure that they won’t be on the council when the city teeters on the brink of bankruptcy because previous council members were too enamored of business interests and contributions to their political campaigns. Moody’s has already downgraded the city twice. This is a clear indication that finances have not been handled wisely for a long, long time. To her credit, the mayor submitted a comprehensive budget plan, but that was immediately shot down by the chamber.
It would have been better if the final budget had been voted down. Until more responsible candidates come forth who put the city’s welfare above pandering to the chamber, the city will continue to slide into financial peril.
Kent needs city officials who are willing to make tough decisions and put the city’s long-range stability above political ambitions.
– Sandra Gill
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