City of Kent Committee of the Whole + Workshop - October 20, 2026

The City of Kent Committee of the Whole and workshop on October 20, 2026, reviewed the August financial report and several infrastructure funding and contract items. Council approved acceptance of a $2 million Washington Department of Commerce Public Works Board grant for the South 259th Street Flood Resiliency Project and a $750,000 King County Flood Control District grant for the Earthwork Sediment Pond culvert replacement; both grants require no local match. Council also authorized change orders 4 and 5 to the Public Works agreement with Vardi Construction, increasing the Mill Creek Reestablishment project contract from just under $2.1 million to just over $2.6 million. The added work included large woody debris for fish habitat, bank-related work, and repairs after an unmarked water line was struck.

The 2027–2028 biennial budget workshop covered proposed allocations and service costs, including a two-year cleanup pilot with a nonprofit provider, continued right-of-way cleanup funding, and an increase of $1 million per year for public defense services. Staff also discussed bringing some emergency-management work in-house and a proposed change to cap the sewer fund’s utility-tax contribution to the General Fund at about $4.25 million, adjusted annually by CPI, to preserve sewer operations and limit additional city-driven rate increases. These budget and sewer-tax items were discussed but were not adopted at the workshop; the budget was scheduled for further hearings and proposed final adoption on December 8. The financial report noted sales and utility tax revenues above budget and a possible later-year budget adjustment.