Kent voters appear to be failing to give the necessary 60 percent bond measure approval to build a new police headquarters.
Proposition A received 7,284 (53.48 percent) yes votes to 6,335 (46.52 percent) no votes, according to the first results released Tuesday night by King County Elections.
“I was a little bit surprised,” said Kent Police Chief Ken Thomas at a gathering of bond measure supporters at the Mexico Lindo restaurant across from City Hall. “I’m encouraged and optimistic but I thought the numbers would come in a little bit higher.”
If approved, the $34 million bond measure would pay for a new police headquarters as well as improvements to the city jail and firearm training range for officers. The property tax rate would be 19 cents per $1,000 assessed value or about $57 per year for a $300,000 home.
Thomas asked the City Council at an April workshop to send the measure to voters. Kent has 144 officers and is expected to have 160 by 2016. The current station was remodeled in 1991 to handle about 75 officers. Employees are scattered at four different sites.
City officials want to tear down the current police station next to City Hall along Fourth Avenue South. The 19,000-square-foot facility would be replaced by a two-story, 48,000-square-foot building. Officers would be housed at temporary locations during construction, which could take 12 to 18 months.
About $800,000 of the bond would be used to pay to rewire and re-plumb the city jail along Central Avenue and add a couple of new cells to handle inmates with mental health issues.
“I’m holding out hope until they say it’s not possible,” Thomas said about whether the approval rating could reach 60 percent as more votes are counted from the mail-in election.
Supporters who joined Thomas at the restaurant were encouraged about the majority of voters approving the measure and agreed if it fails they want to try again to get voters to approve a new police station.
Mayor Suzette Cooke told the small crowd they have made an impressive showing.
“Since I’ve been mayor this is the first time I have seen a concerted effort for a city issue,” said Cooke, elected last year to her third term. “We had the parks and streets bond issue a few years ago but it started out a failure when you had a split council on it. We were unified on this one. I think what gives me the greatest hope on our future in this city is the people in this room who came together along with the council members to be unified in a direction. I am very encouraged not just by the positive vote we have heard so far but particularly by you.”
Thomas told supporters the majority vote indicated a good sign even if it fell short of the needed 60 percent.
“It’s good news to know that over half of the citizens who voted in Kent are in support of strong public safety,” he said.
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