Monday, November 12, 2012
Kent City Council approves proposed operating budget for next year in committee
Another year and another deficit is forecast for the city of Kent's budget despite rising income tax revenue. Kent City Council voted to approve the city's 2013 proposed operating budget in committee this month, and like recent years it forecasts a more than $1 million budget deficit by year's end. Kent City Manager Dave Ruller called the $46.7 million budget "frustrating" for its restraint on city services, but he said the budget also honors commitments to provide services to residents. Ruller said the city's annual budget theme has changed little since he came to Kent seven years ago, and it's been a theme of continual cost cuts. "This budget … really is the toughest budget yet," he said. "There’s more cuts. There’s more denials of …
Tuesday, June 12, 2012
Fiscal year budget represents 31 percent increase since 2009
Editor's note: this story was updated at 11:30 a.m. June 12. Kent State University's Board of Trustees have signed off on a $616.5 million budget for the upcoming fiscal year that President Lester Lefton said "reflects the university's priorities." The eight-campus budget also reflects a 31 percent increase in the past five budgets despite deep cuts in state financial support. This fiscal year, which spans from July 1 2012 to June 30 2013, Kent State's eight-campus budget is 31 percent larger than the fiscal year 2009 budget. Four years ago, Kent State spread a $470 million budget across all eight campuses. The budget rose slightly in 2010 to about $491 million, a 4.5 percent rise, but it wasn't until 2011 that the university's budget rose…
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500 E Main St, Kent, OH
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Wednesday, January 4, 2012
No pay raise for 2012; pay increases of 1 and 2 percent expected in following 2 years
If approved by Kent City Council, non-union city employees will see the same pay rate increases during the next three years as the city's union employees. Council will consider tonight the general compensation plan for city employees who work in positions that aren't members in one of Kent's six public employee unions. The positions include department heads and other staff but not the city manager, who last year asked council not to give him a raise in light of the city's financial state. The general compensation plan calls for no pay raise in 2012 and is followed by a recommended 1 percent pay increase in 2013 and a 2 percent pay increase in 2014. It's the same pay scale council already approved for the city's more than 140 union …
Friday, December 9, 2011
Kent Regional Business Alliance gets financial support to continue small-business counseling
The Kent Regional Business Alliance will keep counseling and providing incubator space for small businesses in Kent thanks to a $35,000 grant approved by Kent City Council. The KRBA, a non-profit small business consulting firm, asked the city for financial help in May to pay the costs of operating the Martinel Incubator, a 7,500 square foot facility managed by KRBA with spaces available to start-up businesses at lower-than-market rates. The cost to run the incubator is $4,500 a month, according to a memo to council from Kent Economic Development Director Dan Smith. That cost includes monthly rent of $3,475 paid to the property owner, Harbor Properties. Tenants pay $3,200 in rent monthly. Council unanimously approved the one-time, $35,000 …
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Friday, October 21, 2011
City will see about $43 million in total budgeted expenses next year
Kent is one step closer to having an operating budget in place for next year. Kent City Council cast the first vote on the 2012 operating budget at its meeting this week. Council members unanimously approved the budget, which has about $43 million in total budgeted expenses for next year. Councilwoman Tracy Wallach was absent and did not vote Wednesday, but the budget will go back to council in November for a final vote of approval. Kent City Manager Dave Ruller said the 2012 budget has only minor changes from this year's budget, and it continues a trend that keeps a tight rein on spending while making deliberate, strategic capital investments — such as the downtown redevelopment projects. "I still remain confident that where we’re heading…
Wednesday, July 13, 2011
District expecting more than a $4 million cut in state support over the next two years
With approval of Ohio's budget less than two weeks ago, the Kent City Schools know just how much state money they're going to lose in the next two years. Kent City Schools Treasurer Debbie Krutz said several changes at the state level played a factor at the local level. "Three different components of current state funding for primary and secondary education are affected by the new biennium budget," Krutz said in an email. • State Aid is kept at the same level as the past two years. Initially, Gov. John Kasich’s budget proposal would have meant a net loss of nearly $100,000 during the biennium for Kent schools, but the final version of the budget restores this funding component to the same levels. • Federal stimulus dollars received from …
Friday, June 3, 2011
University trustees approve $100,394 bonus for Kent State President Lefton
While Ohio lawmakers wrangle over the state budget, Kent State University officials are bracing for a big cut in state support for Ohio's second-largest university. Kent State University President Lester Lefton told the university's trustees on Wednesday administrators have been preparing since 2009 for a "deep" cut in state dollars for higher education. Lefton said they're hearing the state budget, once finalized, could cut 13 percent out of the state dollars given to Kent State, or as much as $13 million. He emphasized the fact they won't know how big the cut will be until the state budget is passed — a move expected this month. "We have had funding cuts every year that I have been here," Lefton said. "But we’ve always thought of a deep …
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Saturday, March 26, 2011
City won't know effect until Gov. Kasich's budget is approved by state legislators and signed into law
Gov. John Kasich's plan to cut state funding provided to local governments may not hurt Kent as much as it would other communities. Kasich's budget proposal calls for increasingly harsh cuts in the state funds provided to local communities. Last year, Kent received about $1.2 million in its share of local government funds from Columbus. Kasich's proposal would start with 20 percent to 30 percent cuts in the first year and gradually increase to 50 percent. His budget, however, has yet to gain approval from Ohio legislators, who are likely to amend and modify it — leaving that initial cut percentage unclear for now. “There’s still a whole lot of speculation on that subject," Kent Budget and Finance Director Dave Coffee said. "It appears our …
David Reith
4:35 pm on Sunday, December 30, 2012
I did not know she was off council. But that's good news. more ›