In her weekly email newsletter sent out Friday, April 5, Kent Mayor Dana Ralph asked residents to help the city get funding by writing their legislators.

“We need your help,” Ralph said. “The City is in danger of losing nearly $5 million in annual streamlined sales tax revenue that supports critical city services. The fate of that revenue is in the hands of our legislators. We need your help to ensure that critical revenue is retained in the final state operating budget for 2019-21.”

Ralph explains that when the legislature changed from origin-based to destination-based sales tax in 2008, it cut the city’s revenue by $12-$14 million per year.

“Kent was the #1 impacted city in the state, and the legislature promised to make mitigation payments until we were made whole,” she added. “Despite that promise, mitigation is set to end in October. We need the legislature to act now and restore its commitment to our community.”

Ralph has done her own legwork, meeting with legislators and testifying before the House and Senate in Olympia multiple times.

“It is important that they hear from you too,” she added.

In her email, Ralph included relevant senator names and emails addresses, and included sample language to use.

She said:

“Please support our city by sending an email now to the senators listed below. Ask them to do the right thing – honor the commitment made to Kent.”

“We need your help to restore nearly $5 million in funding.”

Here’s the list of senators she is asking residents to write:

- Sen. Christine Rolfes – [email protected]
- Sen. David Frockt – [email protected]
- Sen. Andy Billig – [email protected]
- Sen. Mark Mullet – [email protected]
- Sen. John Braun – [email protected]
- Sen. Sharon Brown – [email protected]

Here’s Ralph sample email:

Dear Senator _______________________:

As a resident of Kent, I am asking you to support the House of Representatives’ approach to restoring streamlined sales tax mitigation to the City of Kent in the 2019-21 operating budget. The House approach restores mitigation payments to the City and reduces them over time as revenue under the Marketplace Fairness Act and Wayfair legislation increases. This honors the legislature’s prior commitment and allows Kent to continue to provide important city services that support jobs and our state economy.

Thank you for your consideration.

[Your name goes here]