Wednesday, January 16, 2013
Kent collected $12,063,299 in total income tax receipts for 2012; boost may erase projected deficit
Income tax revenue for the city of Kent saw a double-digit increase in 2012 over 2011, as the total collected rose 12.6 percent. Kent collected $12,063,299 in total income tax revenue last year compared with $10,711,766 in the year prior. City administrators originally projected $10.9 million in revenue for 2012 . The large increase last year marks the early start of an upward trend in collections for the Tree City after being hit hard by the Great Recession, which saw Kent's income tax revenue start a decline in 2008 that lasted through 2010. Income tax revenue started to rise in 2011, which saw a 2.5 percent increase above 2010 collections. Kent Budget and Finance Director Dave Coffee said the 12.6 percent increase for 2012 is a welcome …
Thursday, July 5, 2012
Kent City Council will decide this month if the proposed increase will be on the November ballot
To replace a dilapidated police station and bolster safety budgets Kent City Council will vote this month to put a 0.5 percent income tax increase on the November ballot. If approved by voters, the measure would raise Kent's income tax rate from 2 percent to 2.5 percent and would generate $2.7 million in annual revenue for the city. Of that revenue, $1.2 million annually would pay the debt service on the estimated $18 million cost of replacing Kent's police station. The remaining $1.5 million in annual revenue would go to the fire and police department budgets. You can read about the proposed increase here:
Thursday, March 15, 2012
Tuition and room and board rates are going up — again.
Fair? Unfair? Share your thoughts on the second-consecutive year of 3.5 percent tuition increases at Kent State University. Coverage:
41.15375
-81.351269
Kent State University
500 E Main St, Kent, OH
/articles/poll-your-reactions-to-tuition-hike-at-kent-state
1094461
/locations/6592252
Monday, November 21, 2011
More than a half dozen multi-million dollar projects are under way in Kent
Yes, your eyes aren't deceiving you, and that headline is correct. Building permit fees in Kent are up 565 percent through October of this year compared with the same 10-month period last year. So far this year, developers and other property owners have paid $814,994 in permits and fees to renovate or build new buildings in the city. The $122,623 in permit fees paid between January and October of 2010 seems paltry in comparison. "With all the building going on, it doesn't surprise me," Kent City Councilman Wayne Wilson said. The 565 percent increase can mostly be attributed to parks fees, inspections and building plan reviews associated with more than half a dozen multi-million dollar projects all under way simultaneously in Kent. "It's a …
Friday, November 18, 2011
Kent is planning gradual rate hikes for the next several years
We broke the news Wednesday night that the city is planning to increase water and sewer rates for Kent residents and property owners on city water and sewer systems to pay for enormous utility operational and maintenance costs. And Kent City Council voted in favor of gradual increases instead of a big, one-time rate hike to cover those costs. The issue still has about four weeks to go until council has a final vote on the increases, which would take effect in January. Until then, they plan to try and get the word out to residents about why city administrators say the increases are necessary. The gradual increases would start in 2012 with an 8.5 percent annual hike for the next four years. Rates will level off in 2016, but they will still …
Thursday, November 17, 2011
Kent City Council approves rate stabilization plan to pay for infrastructure work
It's going to cost a lot more to shower, flush your toilet or water your lawn with city water starting next year. Kent City Council approved a series of increases in water and sewer rates Wednesday starting in 2012 with an 8.5 percent annual hike for the next four years. Rates will level off in 2016, but they will still increase annually by 3 percent through 2017 and beyond. The rate increases, which city administrators presented to council as a "rate stabilization plan," are meant to pay for major infrastructure maintenance and repair work for water and sewer utilities by spreading out the necessary increases over the next several years instead of creating a large, one-time rate increase. More than 90 percent of the operational and …
Wednesday, November 16, 2011
Kent City Council approves rate stabilization plan for infrastructure costs
Property owners in Kent who pay the city for water and sewer service can expect their rates to jump 8.5 percent annually for the next four years. Kent City Council approved a new rate stabilization plan tonight that's intended to pay for major infrastructure work for water and sewer utilities by spreading out rate increases over the next several years. After the 8.5 percent annual increase starting in 2012, city officials said rates will "stabilize" at a 3 percent annual increase starting in 2016. The news should not come as a total shock to utility customers. Kent Patch first reported on the pending rate increases in February. "Nobody wants to see utility increases," Councilman Jack Amrhein said. "I certainly don’t. But if we’re serious …
Thursday, June 30, 2011
Tuition will increase by 3.5 percent for the 2011-2012 school year
University officials announced today tuition at Kent State will increase by 3.5 percent for the coming school year — the maximum increase allowed by the state. The tuition increase means the cost for an Ohio resident to attend classes full time at Kent State will rise from $9,030 to $9,346, or $158 per semester from $4,515 to $4,673. The increase is for both graduate and undergraduate students across all eight campuses. Students at Kent State had mixed reactions to the news today. “It’s unfortunate that tuition goes up at all, however, we are at a time where education is changing a lot of federal funding for even public schools at the elementary and high school level,” said Patrick Fenner, a graduate student studying health and human …
41.15375
-81.351269
Kent State University
500 E Main St, Kent, OH
/articles/students-react-to-tuition-hike-at-kent-state
1094461
/locations/4745695
Chris (Kit) Myers
7:11 am on Monday, January 21, 2013
This is great news. Now the average tax-paying Joe and Jane out there in neighborhood-land might get his/her street resurfaced. I doubt it, though. more ›