New police station to begin construction in 2015

After the polls closed Nov. 5, 2013, the Kent city police celebrated that Issue 4 passed. Angel Mack spoke to people working in downtown Kent who will be paying the higher income tax at the start of the new year. In his video, TV2 reporter Bill Hughes looks at what progress has been made toward a new police station since the issue passed.

[rpavideo caption=”In this video, TV2 reporter Bill Hughes looks into how the negotiations to acquire the property to build a new police station is going.”]RPA_07_Hughes[/rpavideo]

Issue 4, still an issue a month after elections

by Angel Mack

KENT, OHIO—In January, a 0.25 percent increase in earned income tax will go into effect for workers in the city of Kent. The city hopes to generate about 1.2 million dollars annually until enough is earned to pay for the construction of a new police station.

Police Chief Michelle Lee said the city is looking to spend between 17 and 18 million dollars on the project, including the cost of acquiring and inspecting property, hiring an architect and building the new station.

A new location

The city plans to build the new police station on the block between Day and Summit streets, bordering Water and Depeyster streets. Kent City Law Director Jim Silver is in charge of contacting the current property owners, and two of the three, Lee said, have begun consulting with Silver.

Negotiations will have to be made with the property owners regarding price of the property and the possible placement of the current businesses.

“I know that eminent domain has been put out there, but that’s really not something that the city wants to do,” Lee said. This means the city would rather try to come to an agreement that would please the property owners than to simply pay “just compensation” and take the property for public use.

While negotiating the property acquisition, however, the city must also have a company analyze the location and, at some point, take soil samples, with the property owners’ permission.

Lee said it was her understanding that the location of Magic City Customs, an auto detail shop on south Water Street, was once the site of a gas station. In cases like such, the police chief said, there is always some possibility of soil contamination. If there are contaminants, the city would have to look at another location for the police station.

The second highest rated location when the city had some sites analyzed by David Sommers & Associates some years ago was at the end of College Street, directly east of the fire department, Lee said. This site would involve between nine and 11 property owners, however, and that is one reason Lee said why it wasn’t higher on the list of choices.

A new tax

“We spent some money to get some new jobs downtown,” City Manager Dave Ruller said at a community meeting in October. “Now, let’s get something out of them.

With less than a month before the tax increase is seen, individuals working downtown have varying reactions.

[pullquote]”I mean, it’s just a matter of work-place safety.”

—Gwen Rosenberg, owner of Popped![/pullquote]

Lisa Smith, an employee at Wild Earth Outfitters on east Erie Street, moved to Ohio in August. She has previously lived in San Francisco, Portland, Oregon, and the state of New Mexico. Smith said she wasn’t “shaken” by the income tax increase because she’s paid much higher taxes elsewhere.

“Big cities … generally, they have a higher per-hour starting [wage] because a. taxes, b. cost of living, and it’s just an equation that gets worked with, depending on where you are [and] what kind of job it is,” Smith said. “… I mean, Portland, there is no sales tax, so way more comes out of personal, income tax, pay checks.”

Jason Merlene, owner of Last Exit Books on east Main Street, is not in favor of the tax. He said he is currently paying more in sales taxes than ever before, and he believes that, with more businesses downtown all paying sales taxes, enough of that money is coming back to Kent and Portage County.

“That increase is enough. … It hurts small people,” Merlene said.

Still, Gwen Rosenberg, owner of Popped! on east Erie Street, said the loss of property taxes from the houses that were torn down to build the esplanade extension justifies an increase. She said she wouldn’t want police officers to have to be laid off.

“Kent is awesome because it has so many great activities. There’s a blues fest, there’s a heritage fest, there’s a lot of live music and things like that. I want to continue it because I really enjoy it, and it contributes to the quality of life here, so I want it to be safe,” she said.

Rosenberg was also concerned for the age and state of the current police station.

“In healthy communities, the bottom line is, our police officers don’t walk around on wet, soggy floors because the roof is leaking in the police station. I mean, it’s just a matter of work-place safety. … This is where they work, and people sometimes forget. Like this place is my factory,” Rosenberg said, gesturing to the shop around her. “It’s my obligation to maintain that my employees have a healthy and safe place to work, and the same thing applies to police officers.”

Though the tax increase will begin at the beginning of the new year, Lee said construction of the new police station won’t begin until 2015.