Budget and Finance

Under the direction of Budget and Finance Director, the department processes, records, and reports all financial activity of the City of Kent. The Director of Budget and Finance is the chief fiscal officer for the city and is the financial advisor to the City Manager and City Council. In addition to overseeing the utility billing and income tax, the Department of Budget and Finance also encompasses areas of responsibility such as:

Financial accounting and reporting for all City funds
Preparing the city’s annual operating budget and assisting with the Five-Year Capital Budget
Administering the City’s payroll
Working with banks and investment firms, while serving as custodian of City funds, investments, and property
Managing the City’s debt and filing required disclosures and other documents with specified state and federal agencies
Collecting fees, assessments, and tax revenues from various sources
Certifying the availability of funds to pay for proposed expenditures
Maintaining the City’s financial records

The Utility Billing Division and Income Tax Division are part of this department. For Accounts Payable, Accounts Receivable, Payroll, or other fiscal related inquiries, please call 330-678-8102. For Utility Billing questions, please call 330-678-8104.

Income Taxes

The city Income Tax Division is responsible for collecting local income taxes and enforcing the Kent Income Tax Ordinance. The taxes are collected through the services of the Regional Income Tax Agency (RITA).

Through our in-house customer service made available to Kent residents and businesses, everyone can stay compliant with local tax laws. Please explore the information provided on our website and/or reach out to our office with additional questions.

Effective July 1, 2026, the income taxes for the businesses that are participants of (or conscripted in to) the Brimfield or Franklin Joint Economic Development Districts will be collected by the Regional Income Tax Agency (RITA). Questions and forms should be directed to or requested from the RITA website at: Home - Regional Income Tax Agency. You can also call them at 1-800-860-7482.

Property Taxes

For questions about property valuations or taxes please visit the Portage County Auditor’s office website.

Ambulance Billing

Ambulance billing and collection is done by LifeForce Management, Inc. Any questions regarding your ambulance bill should be directed to them. Visit their website or call 800-770-4767 or 330-626-5450.

Financial Reports

The Government Finance Officer’s Association (GFOA) established the Certificate of Achievement for Excellence in Financial Reporting Program which the City annually participates in. The GFOA established the Certificate of Achievement for Excellence in Financial Reporting Program (CAFR Program) in 1945 to encourage and assist state and local governments to go beyond the minimum requirements of generally accepted accounting principles to prepare annual comprehensive financial reports that evidence the spirit of transparency and full disclosure and then to recognize individual governments that succeed in achieving that goal. The goal of the program is not to assess the financial health of participating governments, but rather to ensure that users of their financial statements have the information they need to do so themselves.

Reports submitted to the ACFR program are reviewed by selected members of the GFOA professional staff and the GFOA Special Review Committee (SRC), which comprises individuals with expertise in public-sector financial reporting and includes financial statement preparers, independent auditors, academics, and other finance professionals. Review the City’s award winning Comprehensive Annual Financial Reports.

Ohio Auditor of State Financial Health Indicator Reports

Financial Health Indicators are a proactive approach to monitoring or assisting cities and counties that show early signs of fiscal stress. There are 17 indicators for entities that report financial statements using the Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP) and 15 for those that use a cash or modified cash basis of accounting – are a collection of financial information, percentages and ratios gathered from annual financial statements filed by local governments with the Auditor’s office in addition to their audit reports. The indicators are useful in predicting both financial stability and stress.

View the Financial Health Indicator Reports