By Steve Hunter and Heidi Sanders
Voters are turning down the Kent School District bond measure but approving the Kent Fire Department Regional Fire Authority benefit charge.
The school district proposition for capital improvement and school construction general obligation bonds for $252 million was falling short of the needed 60 percent approval. The results were 58 percent approval (12,052) and 42 percent no (8,640) on Wednesday afternoon.
Voters passed the extension of the fire benefit charge for another six years by 64 percent (10,767) to 36 percent (5,968). That measure also required 60 percent approval.
King County Elections will update the results each weekday at about 4 p.m.
RFA pleased with voter support
Voters in Kent, Covington and Fire District 37 approved the fire benefit charge against property owners to help pay for fire services. The fee is a variable rate based on the square footage and the amount of resources needed to provide emergency services to each house or business.
“I think we are all very appreciative of the support from residents for re-authorization of our funding mechanism,” RFA Fire Chief Jim Schneider said in a phone interview. “It’s the first time we had to go out for re-authorization.”
Voters in 2010 approved the formation of the RFA with 72 percent in favor of funding the agency through a property tax levy and a new fire benefit charge.
Previously, Kent funded its fire department through the city’s general fund. Covington and Fire District 37 contracted with Kent for services. A property tax levy of $1 per $1,000 assessed valuation covers the majority of the RFA’s operating budget. The fire benefit charge this year will cover 46 percent of the budget. By state law, a fire benefit charge cannot exceed 60 percent of the operating budget.
“I think the thing is it’s hard to get the message across that this was a re-authorization of what we already have,” Schneider said about the lower approval percentage compared to six years ago. “The state requires that we have to go out every six years for re-authorization.”
The approval of the fee will allow the RFA to continue its current service levels as well as help pay for equipment and facilities. If the measure had failed, the RFA would have lost about $10 million in revenue and been forced to cut about 75 firefighters and staff, Schneider said.
The RFA is overseen by a board that includes three Kent City Councilmembers, three Fire District 37 commissioners, and one non-voting advisory board member from the cities of Covington and SeaTac.
New schools remain district priority
If initial results hold, voters in the Kent School District could see a similar request on a future ballot, district spokesman Chris Loftis said on Wednesday morning.
The bond measure on Tuesday’s ballot would have funded projects throughout the district, including the construction of a new Covington Elementary School, a new elementary school in the Kent Valley and 20 additional classrooms at various schools.
“We are going to have to have those new schools eventually ….” Loftis said. “We will have to figure out the configuration and go back to the voters eventually.”
Other projects would have included multipurpose rooms at nine elementary schools; smart board replacements; upgrades to tracks, fields and courts at middle and high schools; and safety, maintenance and energy efficiency improvements.
The construction of the two elementary schools would cost about $46 million each. Replacing Covington Elementary, which opened in 1961, has been in the works for more than a decade.
The new school would be built on property the district owns near 156th Avenue Southeast and Southeast 256th Street in Covington.
A site for a new school in the Kent Valley has not been selected.
Building the two elementary schools and the additional 20 classrooms would add 50 to 55 new classrooms in the district, which would alleviate some overcrowding, Loftis said.
The school board in January was presented five options for the bond issue, ranging from $180 million to $252 million, and opted to go for the largest amount, encompassing the most projects.
The referendum would have replaced retiring bonds and would not increase the district’s tax rate, instead extending the obligation through 2042. The current levy for the Debt Service Fund is $1.41 per $1,000 of assessed value.
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