- By Steve Hunter
- Monday, September 11, 2023 3:58pm
If the words of six Kent City Council candidates are an accurate indication, voters might be voting on higher taxes next year to pay for more police officers.
The six candidates for three council positions agreed during a Sept. 7 Kent Chamber of Commerce forum that more Kent Police officers are needed to help curtail crime. They also agreed a tax measure should be referred to voters to see if they want to pay for those officers, with a property tax hike one potential option.
”We might have to raise property taxes for more police,” said John Boyd, who is running against Kelly Wiggans-Crawford for Position No. 3 to replace Les Thomas,. “A lot of people complain about crime, but do you want to complain or pay? Let’s send it out to a vote about whether to increase property taxes.”
Wiggans-Crawford would like to consider other tax increases.
“I’d like to spread the cost to all community members not just the property owners,” Wiggans-Crawford said. “We need to look at different options that spread across all residents of Kent not just those who own property. … But I’m not opposed to higher taxes for more police.”
The City Council at its Aug. 4 retreat discussed a property tax measure as well as lobbying the Legislature to amend existing state law to allow city councils to impose a local sales tax to fund public safety.
The police department is fully staffed for what its budget allows with 166 officers. Police Chief Rafael Padilla, however, has said numerous times a city with Kent’s population of more than 130,000 should have 195 officers.
Incumbent Marli Larimer, who is being challenged by Jessie Ramsey for Position No. 1, said the council will look this fall at options for paying for more police officers as 2024 budget talks begin.
“I’d love to have the budget of Bellevue to get more officers on the streets,” Larimer said. “It’s an ongoing challenge and one of our biggest challenges.”