As 2023 comes to a close and we move into the new year, I am excited to share some highlights of the good work the City has accomplished over the past 12 months. We continue to make remarkable progress across the board. Some of our accomplishments are very visible, like construction of new infrastructure, repair of roadways and the opening of new parks. Other accomplishments are more subtle or will be felt in the coming year, such as improvements to transparency, public safety and the permitting process.

The City of Kent is dedicated to providing the community with excellent service. We continue our work to improve the quality of life of those who live in, work in and visit Kent. I hope that you enjoy this year’s update and find it informative.

I wish you the best 2024 possible,

• 2,578 KentWorks Service Requests Completed
• 45.3 Miles of Sewer Lines Cleaned
• 10,644 Catch Basins Inspected
• 1,383 Potholes Filled
• 2,000 Linear Feet of Sidewalks Repaired
• 115 Tons of Litter Removed from Right of Way Locations
• 566 Tons of Recyclable Material Collected at Recycling Events
• 555 Signs Installed or Replaced

• Completed asphalt overlays and street repairs at several locations around the City over the course of the year to improve safety and connectivity.
• Continued to improve drainage through work on culverts, levees and pump stations and performed habitat restoration to protect critical natural areas.
• Leveraged grant funding to continue Kent’s partnership with King County by funding Uplift NW, a program that employs formerly homeless individuals, for litter removal.

• Continued to promote hundreds of important City programs, services, engagement opportunities and fun community events.
• Accepted and leveraged $12.2M in grant funding to continue improving Kent’s parks system as well as services and environmental programs.
• Completed renovations and upgrades at Van Doren’s Landing Park, Kherson Park, Salt Air Vista Park and the Community Garden to improve recreation. for Kent residents. Improvements were also made at Kent Memorial Park and Canterbury Park.
• 4,478 kids participated in our Youth Sports Leagues, totaling 64,122 separate registrations.
• 1,101 adults participated in our Adult Sports Leagues, totaling 8,088 separate registrations.
• 12,011 individual participants in parks Adult programs through the Kent Commons and Senior Activity Center.
• 27,221 individual participants in Youth & Teen programs.
• 48,048 senior registrations for various parks programs through the Senior Activity Center and Kent Commons.
• 4,954 youth, adults and seniors attended Kent Summer Concerts and Spotlight Series live performances.
• Served over 65,000 rounds of golf at the Riverbend Golf Course.
• 78,969 individual youth participants through classes and sports leagues at Kent Commons.

• The City continues to stay on track for employment and housing targets, with approximately 72,314 workers and 50,360 existing housing units as of earlier this year.
• Launched the Kent Comprehensive Plan amendment process, which involved extensive community outreach and surveys to determine community priorities as staff plans and sets goals for the next 20 years.
• Staff testified in Olympia during the legislative session on behalf of our City to advocate for local control of land-use decisions and against a statewide one-size-fits-all approach.
• Continued to connect local community-based organizations to available grant funding and assistance to help them navigate resources and improve their service delivery.
• Issued 3,118 residential and commercial permits and conducted 6,497 inspections as a part of our Rental Housing Inspection Program.
• Implemented a new online building permitting system streamlining the building permit application process.

• Processed over 9,000 public records requests, with 92% being closed within 5 business days of receiving them.
• Reviewed over 600 hours of body-worn camera footage to fulfill public records requests.
• Successfully deployed a new records management system to replace the prior, outdated system, improving accessibility and turnaround time for records requests.
• Processed over 1,250 City contracts with vendors for City business.
• Received awards for Excellence in Financial Reporting and Distinguished Budget Presentation, meeting high standards which demonstrate the City’s commitment to transparency.
• Continued to implement cybersecurity upgrades to improve the security and protection of personal identifying information and data.
• Adopted the City’s Race & Equity Plan aimed at eliminating racial inequities and improving outcomes for all diverse communities.
• Approved the City’s first Language Access Plan which includes the translation of vital City documents into the top six languages spoken in the community.
• Procured professional interpretation equipment to facilitate live translation during City meetings.
• Revamped and improved the employment recruitment and on-boarding processes to attract and retain qualified employees.

• Maintained accreditation with the Washington Association of Sheriffs and Police Chiefs, demonstrating the City’s commitment to customer service, accountability, professionalism and improvement.
• Expanded Kent’s Community Immersion Law Enforcement Program by adding two non-profit organizations and leveraging $150k in grant funding. 42 Kent Police recruits have worked for non-profits to date, gaining valuable cultural awareness and building community connections.
• Hired an additional 13 Police Officers in 2023. Officers will be ready to deploy to the street following 12 months of state and department training.
• Entered into an agreement with the Drug Enforcement Agency and the Department of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms on establishing a task force to increase information sharing to solve violent crimes.
• Launched Project Be Free, a domestic violence resource for victims and/or offenders to assist  in interrupting the cycle of violence.
• Adopted an ordinance to protect our environmentally sensitive areas, parks and other public spaces from damage caused by illegal camping.
• Adopted an ordinance prohibiting the public possession and use of dangerous drugs which rewards participation in treatment.
• Continued the Kent Municipal Court Community Court program, connecting offenders to rehabilitative services and resources.  Leveraged funding received from the City’s opioid litigation to connect individuals with Substance Use Disorder to treatment and other services.
• Continued our grant-funded DUI Court, a therapeutic Kent Municipal Court program dedicated to reducing recidivism through treatment for high-risk DUI offenders.
• Took legal action to ensure improvements to security and safety were made at an apartment complex that was a hot spot for drugs and violence.