Kent City Council on Sept. 2 approved a multi-phase plan to relocate and renovate city facilities, including the purchase and renovation of the Administrative Services Building, a new police headquarters at the Centennial Center, and a new council chambers and civic plaza. The council adopted an ordinance and a resolution authorizing financing and contract delegations to carry out the project.

The move grew from a 2020 facilities condition assessment that identified urgent infrastructure needs and long-term space shortfalls at City Hall and the Kent Police Department. Julie Paras Condola, director of parks, recreation and community services, said during the meeting that “this isn't just a parks led project. This is an all hands on deck city led project,” and described governance that includes an executive leadership team and a steering committee to coordinate design, operations and security needs.

The project budget in the adopted resolution was set at $63,500,000 for the municipal campus relocation project (not including a separately budgeted $5.5 million for the Kent East Hill Operations Center). Deputy Finance Director Michelle Ferguson told the council the projected financing plan combines reallocated project funds, bond proceeds and a general fund contribution; the ordinance authorized up to $57 million in new limited-tax general obligation bonds and up to $45 million in refunding bonds. Ferguson explained that “the face value is the fixed amount that the bond issuer, the city, agrees to repay the bondholder at maturity,” and that final numbers will depend on market interest rates at sale.

Program consultants and vendors presented details. Tanyan Farley, senior vice president at Athenian Group, said the plan’s operating goals include “modernizing operations and technology for the future,” strengthening civic pride and accessibility, prioritizing employee well-being, and improving security and efficiency for police and council functions. Athenian and ARC Architects presented preliminary floor plans: the Administrative Services Building (the former BECU call center) is roughly 81,000 square feet and would house economic and community development, finance, IT and other support functions; the Centennial Center would be retrofitted as a multi-story Kent Police headquarters with an annex and centralized evidence and records areas; and the existing City Hall would be demolished later to create a civic plaza and expanded public gathering space.

Council and staff discussed schedule, contractors and cost controls. The city said it selected Skanska through the state GCCM (general contractor/construction manager) process to help manage sequencing, cost estimating and subcontractor outreach. Tanyan Farley said preconstruction will run in fall 2025 with construction starting in spring 2026 for early packages and a program-level completion target currently shown in early 2028, subject to sequencing and final design. The city described an overall contingency approach (roughly 15–20% in early planning) that will be refined during design and GCCM preconstruction.

City attorney Tammy White summarized the two formal actions before council and the delegated authorities: adoption of the bond ordinance and approval of the municipal campus relocation resolution, which (a) establishes the $63.5 million project budget for the relocation phases; (b) authorizes issuance of bonds and refunds; (c) authorizes the finance director to amend budgets to record bond proceeds when received; and (d) authorizes the mayor to negotiate and execute contracts, contract amendments and change orders necessary to deliver the project so long as work remains within the approved budget. Bond counsel Deanna Gregory was present to assist with legal questions about the financing.

On roll calls and final votes, the council approved the ordinance and the resolution by recorded voice votes that were announced as 7–0. Council members emphasized the project’s long-term nature: Mayor Dana Ralph called the investments “generational” and asked staff to maintain frequent communication with council during execution. Staff said they will provide quarterly public updates, a city project website and targeted notices to staff and vendors and will notify council promptly of major scope or budget changes.

The council also authorized related refunding of previously issued bonds tied to the public facilities district sales tax pursuant to House Bill 1109 (2025) that extended the allowed collection period for that PFD sales tax; staff said refunding will be timed to review market conditions and that final transaction terms will be reported to council after closing.

Next steps for the project include refining schematic design with ARC Architects, proceeding through GCCM preconstruction with Skanska, finalizing bond sale documents and working with rating agencies and bond counsel in late 2025 and early 2026. Staff said they will begin public-facing communications and small-group briefings for council as design progresses and will manage moves and continuity of operations so police and 24/7 services remain active during construction.