Representatives from the Kent Regional Fire Authority and the city of Kent will hold a public presentation about why residents and businesses are seeing high property tax bills this year.
The event runs from 12:30-2 p.m. Tuesday, June 14 in Room 9 at the Kent Senior Activity Center, 600 E. Smith St.
The free presentation is part of the Policy Makers and Business Leaders monthly forum sponsored by the Kent Chamber of Commerece. Attendees are encouraged to bring their own lunch.
The discussion will focus on the new property tax line item for fire and why bills are so much higher. The tax items include a new Regional Fire Authority fire-benefit charge, a variable rate based on the square footage and the amount of service provided to each house or business.
Voters last year in Kent, King County Fire District 37 and Covington approved the formation of a Regional Fire Authority that merged the Kent Fire Department and Fire District 37.
The Regional Fire Authority has its own governing board composed of three Kent City Council members and three Fire District 37 commissioners. The department is still called the Kent Fire Department, but is now funded by its own tax base rather than by the city of Kent.
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