I attended the Economic Development Committee meeting held on Jan. 24, 2011, and was pleased that the board is willing to review the Traffic Mitigation fees, as to the effect they will have in attracting new business in Kent.
I do feel however the graphs – showing new investors in our city – to be a bit deceptive.
First of all, Redmond should not have been included. It is not in the same economic situation as the valley cities and it skews the results.
Secondly, without Redmond, Kent would have the highest utility rates due to the exorbitant drainage fees. Kent collects approximately $1,027,380 per month from commercial accounts, $260,000 per month from residential accounts and $29,000 from the state just for storm drainage. Of the $1,316,183.94 funds collected each month for storm drainage, business are paying 78 percent of this amount. If our property were in Auburn, we would pay $249 per month. If in Renton, it would be $288 per month. Here in Kent, we pay $746 per month.
Thirdly, there was no mention of the newly enacted Regional Fire Tax. This new fee for our business is $9,400 per year. That amount is hard to afford for us because, since 2008, our business is down 25 percent. Renton does not have the Regional Fire Tax, so there is no extra charge of this type in Renton.
Also I wonder about the $4.2 million dollars that the City of Kent saved by going to the Regional Fire Authority. Are the monies saved going to defray the expenses or going to hire more employees?
With all these factors, I find it hard to believe any company knowing the above facts would feel welcome in Kent, further hurting our local economy.
If money is needed so badly for roads and storm drainage, why is 25 percent of the monies collected for these services being spent on a $49 million operational facility? That the people in this area can ill afford? How much has already been spent on this for engineering and utilities? If our roads and storm drainage need so much repair, why is this money used for this new, very expensive facility?
As a business owner, I strongly urge you to reconsider the TIF (transportation-impact fees) and other fees you expect companies to spend to maintain and grow in Kent. In this economy we cannot afford such expenses. Thank you for your time.
Delores Christianson
Kent
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