The recent article “Kent City Council searches for 256th Street funding options” (published May 10) is one-sided with no attempt to report the opinions of the tax-paying citizens that would be burdened with this unfair Local Improvement District (LID) assessment.
The self storage partnership (Mini Shamrock Corp.) that I represent has several members that are lifelong residents of Kent and are very involved in this community. Although I don’t have my current residence in Kent at this time, I grew up in Kent and have worked and done business in Kent for many years. Our partnership donates our time and periodically provides free storage for several community organizations, such as the Kent Rotary Club, The Chamber of Commerce, Tap Fire and others.
As business owners, we are concerned about the seemingly never ending tax and fee increases that we are required to pay. For example, we are still paying yearly fees for the South 277th Street corridor LID. We have been hit hard over the last two years with higher property taxes largely due to the huge increase in the Kent Fire Department Regional Fire Authority fee assessment. All of this during a time of recession in our economy.
With much thought, and considering the community we live in and work in, we decided to sign the letter protesting LID funding for 256th. We simply believe that the costs of this project should be shared with a larger group of businesses and property owners.
For instance, why not double or even triple the included LID area? Why not extend the LID area directly west towards Benson Highway to the shopping centers, the really large property owners, and maybe even the Kent School District (Kent-Meridian High School). These businesses and schools would benefit from the road improvement at least as much as our small business. After all, we are several miles away from the 277th Street corridor and were unresisting participants in that LID many years ago.
I think it is simply shameful for some City Council members to pass judgment upon the hard-working, tax-paying citizens who happen to disagree with their uninformed opinions. The homeowners (some lifelong Kent citizens) that have led this protest have worked extremely hard and followed all of the rules regarding LID protests. Now it seems as if the council is not willing to not abide by its own rules.
– Tom Reichert
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