Here’s our recap of the Kent City Council meeting held on Tuesday night, Aug. 1, 2023:
Employee of the Month
Kaelene Nobis from the Economic & Community Development Department received the honor this month. According to Mayor Dana Ralph, she spreads cheer and laughter wherever she goes, brings award winning chili to potlucks, and is dedicated to creating a more equitable workplace. Her love for the community of Kent, as well as her coworkers, is evident.
Nobis was hired as Planner on May 1, 2018, and within a few years was promoted to Senior Long Range Planner. Her duties include using a variety of professional, analytical, and technical tools to conduct planning for the city. She has done extensive work recently on outreach around the city’s ADU policy as well as bringing the city into compliance with the Blake fix.
Bid Approved for Roundabout
Public Works Director Chad Bieren explained that the nearly $1.2 million for this bid comes entirely from grant funding. The compact roundabout will be installed at the intersection of 108th SE & 264th to improve traffic safety. There have been a number of accidents at that intersection over the years.
The bid passed 6–1, with Councilmember Thomas voting against it because he believes the roundabout should be installed one street over, at the Home Depot.
National Night Out
The meeting was kept brief to allow all present to join in at National Night Out events around the community. The aim of National Night Out is to create safer neighborhoods, and all councilmembers chose to save their council reports for the next meeting in order to allow full participation in the annual event.
