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FRIDAY, JANUARY 4, 2013
Kent approves funding change to human services agencies BY STEVE HUNTER shunter@kentreporter.com
The city of Kent has changed how it dedicates money from the general fund to human services agencies after a large decrease in 2011 required a $95,000 adjustment.
The City Council approved Dec. 11 funding human services based on a per capita rate of $6.96 per city resident rather than 1 percent of the general fund. The city funded 30 programs this year with amounts from $10,000 to $125,000.
“That’s really great,” said Marvin Eckfeldt, of Kent, who commented at the council meeting about the change. “That means the budget will have $828,000 to give to citizens in Kent who are in need.”
In 2011, the city’s Human Services Commission asked the council and received a budget adjustment of $95,000 to cover a drop in funds. The commission decided to come up with a new funding tool to avoid a similar
deficit in future years. The per capita funding creates a stable funding source, according to staff reports. Over the years, the city has determined that human services needs tend to [ more FUNDING page 6 ]
Phillip’s murder trial continued in death of city employee
Doctor leads effort to bring smiles to others
BY STEVE HUNTER
tcompton@soundpublishing.com
shunter@kentreporter.com
A Kent orthodontist will fix smiles for free and is asking recipients to pay it forward. Dr. Bob Haeger, of Kent’s Haeger Orthodontics, will offer free treatments to eight deserving patients a year beginning this spring. The work costs a minimum $5,000, but can go as high as $8,000 for braces and all that they require. “He’s always believed in giving back to the community,” said Marla Sherrard, Haeger’s financial coordinator and program contact.
The murder trial has been continued to Feb. 11 for the Oregon man charged with first-degree murder for the 2010 stabbing death of Seth Frankel, a city of Kent employee and Auburn resident. William L. Phillip had been scheduled to go to trial on Monday, Jan. 7. But King County Superior Court Judge Beth Andrus granted a request from defense attorneys Phillip to continue the date to Feb. 11 to have more time to prepare the case, according to the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office. Andrus granted a similar request to continue an Oct. 29 trial date. Phillip, 32, of Portland, remains in custody at the county jail at the Norm Maleng Regional Justice Center in Kent with bail set at $1 million. He pleaded not guilty in March 2011 to a first-degree murder charge after being extradited from Portland. Attorneys from both [ more TRIAL page 2 ]
BY TRACEY COMPTON
Dr. Robert Haeger
“He’s always donated and sponsored several ball teams. … We really want [ more EFFORT page 2 ]
City hires consultant to assess contaminated sites BY STEVE HUNTER shunter@kentreporter.com
First arrival Najalh Albakri smiles with her newborn girl, Maram, the first baby born in 2013 at Valley Medical Center. Maram entered the world at 6:14 a.m. Tuesday. She weighed 8 pounds, 5 ounces. For Albakri and her husband, Ali Alraihani, of Renton, Maram is their second child together. They are originally from Iraq. MARK KLAAS, Kent Reporter
The city of Kent awarded a $385,000 contract to Stantec Consultant Services to conduct a community-wide assessment for contaminated sites. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency awarded the city $385,000 in grants in June to inventory, assess and prioritize contami-
nated sites in an effort to redevelop the properties. Stantec has more than 190 offices in North America, including Seattle, and four locations internationally. The City Council approved the contract on Dec. 11. According to staff reports, “the city will use these funds to complete a community-wide [ more CONTRACT page 2 ]