Kent Mayor Suzette Cooke couldn’t say goodbye quickly enough to 2009, during her fifth-annual State of the City Address at the Kent Chamber of Commerce luncheon Wednesday at the ShoWare Center.
“As I review 2009, I’ll start with a collective sigh from me and all those who served and worked in city government last year,” Cooke said early into her nearly-40-minute speech. “One, because the year is over; two, because economists say we’re coming out of the recession; and three, because we’re nearing the end of flood season.”
Cooke said the recession impacted the city budget as well as the budgets of local businesses and residents.
“What has been called by some the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression certainly made for a year of unknowns,” she said.
City officials cut 56 positions last year. Twenty-four employees were laid off and 32 jobs were left vacant.
“With our economy stumbling and our residents being laid off, it was critical that we, as local government, live within our means,” Cooke said. “Our department heads and staff worked together to provide services with shrinking revenues.”
Cooke also thanked the four city unions and the group of non-represented city employees for taking pay cuts in 2009 that saved the city $1.3 million.
Compared to the projected budget, city revenue dropped $2.2 million in 2009, mainly because of a drop in sales-tax revenue, Cooke said. With revenue expected to be flat this year, the City Council adopted a budget of $157.7 million for 2010, nearly 6 percent smaller than last year’s budget.
Despite the budget cuts, Cooke and the Council agreed to fund public safety to make sure there were no reductions in the number of police officers or firefighters.
“We are not taking police officers off the streets or firefighters off trucks and aid cars,” said Cooke, who was elected in November to a second, four-year term.
The threat of the Green River flooding the city because of a leak at an embankment next to the Howard Hanson Dam became a major issue for Cooke in 2009. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, which operates the dam, warned valley residents that the cities of Kent, Auburn, Tukwila and Renton could be flooded this winter.
So far, the cities have escaped any flooding problems, thanks to a mild winter without heavy rainstorms. Cooke helped lead the project to add 20,000 giant sandbags to the river levees to provide an extra 3 feet in height of flood protection.
The corps also installed a temporary fix last fall at the dam to help reduce the risk of flooding.
“While we were heartened to learn the insertion of 400,000 gallons of grout into the abutment and the giant sandbags reduced the flood risk to 1 in 33, the corps tells us a permanent fix to the dam is three to five years away,” Cooke said. “We are working to create a regional strategy to ensure this repair and upgrades to the levees are a top priority. Our Congressional delegation and the state are helping. Delay is simply unacceptable.
“And until the dam is fixed, it will continue to haunt us.”
The city received $10 million last year from the state to help repair the Horseshoe Bend levee, south of downtown. Cooke said those repairs are scheduled to begin later this year.
As far as 2010, Cooke said the unfinished downtown parking garage along West Smith Street and Fourth Avenue remains an “albatross.” A planned hotel and retail center fell through in 2007 when a developer ran out of money. Cooke said there has been some recent interest from developers in taking over the project.
“We are hopeful there will be some serious offers in the near future,” she said.
Cooke looks forward to the annexation of 24,000 Panther Lake residents to the city July 1. Panther Lake residents voted last November to join the city. The city’s population will jump to about 112,380 from 88,380.
“We will become the sixth-largest city in the state,” Cooke said.
Cooke said residents of Kent, Panther Lake and Covington face an important decision on the April 27 ballot about whether to combine the Kent Fire Department and King County Fire District 37 to form a new Regional Fire Authority.
“By spreading the costs of service over the properties within the fire protection area, it is believed services can be provided more cost-effectively by joining together,” Cooke said.
Overall, the mayor expects a better year in 2010 compared to last year.
“So 2009, folks, I’m glad the year is over,” Cooke said near the end of her speech. “In 2010, I’ve got a smile on my face. Things are looking a lot better. Economically, we have a lot more people who have stepped up to the plate and want to do something and want to be part of this great, urban city called Kent.”
Where to catch Cooke’s speech
To watch Cooke’s State of the City address, go to www.kenttv21.com, where the speech can be viewed starting 6 a.m. Feb. 5. Cooke’s speech also will air on Comcast Channel 21 at 6 a.m., 9:30 a.m., 6 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. from Feb. 5-20.
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