New officers sworn in, budget updates & more discussed at Tuesday night’s Kent City Council meeting

Here’s our recap of the Kent City Council meeting held on Tuesday night, Sept. 19, 2023:

Proclamations

The first proclamation this week recognizes the week of September 18th through the 24th as Diaper Need Awareness Week. Many families struggle to purchase enough diapers, and an estimated 48% of families have children going without needed diaper changes in order to save money by making the diapers last longer. This risks infection and medical consequences. The proclamation was accepted by representatives from Westside Baby and KidVantage. These organizations have served Kent families for years, supplying families with diapers and other essentials through several channels. Greater need has arisen as diaper costs have skyrocketed since the pandemic. 

The second proclamation honors September 17th through 23rd as Constitution Week. The United States Constitution was signed 236 years ago at Independence Hall in Philadelphia. The Constitution was primarily written by James Madison, who is referred to as the Father of the Constitution, as well as John Jay and Alexander Hamilton. The constitution, which spells out rights and liberties of the people, has remained America’s most important document. The full text of the Constitution can be found here.

Officer Updates

Three new officers were sworn in as Kent Police Officers by Mayor Dana Ralph. The mayor extended a special thanks to Sergeant Eric Tung, whose recruitment team has done an outstanding job in the last year, successfully recruiting so many new officers. In addition, Sergeant Amber Horejsi, a correctional officer, received a promotion. Sergeant Horejsi has served in Kent for ten years.

Climate Resiliency Webpage To Go Live

The city’s climate resiliency webpage should be live by the end of this week. The page will show what the city is doing to address climate change; for example the installation of solar panels at the Senior Center.

Budget Updates

This meeting held the first of two public hearings on the Mid Biennium Budget Adjustments. This involves assessing actual revenue and expenses compared to the expected amounts budgeted. Some categories have reduced in cost compared to what was anticipated, like the health plan; however, insurance funds costs have increased by a huge amount. Workers’ comp, liability, and property insurance rates have gone up by 40-70%.

New Murals Downtown

There are two new murals in downtown Kent. The exact location was not given; instead people are invited to explore the area and see if they can spot them.