A six-week consultation has started to examine their proposals to save £37million, which include adding around £35 onto the annual council tax bill for a Band D property.
The county council could pass the 2019/20 budget in February. This would come into force for when the April tax year begins.
Council tax pays for services such as adult social care and the authority’s leaders said the tax rise was intended to help protect society’s most vulnerable.
Council Leader Paul Carter said: “In recent years we have delivered extraordinary savings to protect and enhance the complex array of services that this authority provides.
“We are listening to the voice of Kent residents and there seems to be a real understanding that the public services we all value do need to be protected and that means they must be paid for.
“The consultation is the chance to tell us if we have got that judgement right.”
Cllr Peter Oakford, Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Finance, said: “There is no doubt we face some tough decisions.
“Councils have been given a flat settlement until at least 2020 which potentially includes extra money from modest annual council tax increases.
“That means the cash we have available to spend on services has not kept pace with costs and demands for those services which have been rising for a number of years.”
In the consultation, residents will be asked if they consider a rise in council tax to be acceptable if it helps maintain services.
Details of the consultation, which started last week, can be found by visiting kent.gov.uk/budget
