The city of Lewes approved its budget this week, but not without arguments over police department funding.
The city’s plans to spend more next year, in anticipation of a rebound from the pandemic. The total budget is $6.3 million.
The budget is up over $1 million from this year, including increases to the maintenance team and the police force.
The city is also receiving its own funds in the latest round of COVID relief.
Mayor Ted Becker says the $1.69 million will be available once the city receives more guidance on how to use it.
“So those will be additional funding that will be coming and we’ll be looking at capital projects and other things that are necessary to help us and help the community recover from the COVID pandemic," said Becker.
This funding scheme is different from last year, when cities didn’t receive their own individual pots of funding to use as they pleased.
Next year’s city budget also calls for about a one percent increase in non-union staff pay, and a $500 bonus to thank city workers for their efforts during the pandemic.
Becker says he’s proud to introduce a budget with no new taxes or fee increases, while allowing the city to focus on some capital projects.
Those capital projects include a few street renovations, new tennis courts, and designing renovations to the police station.
One city council member isn’t happy about adding two new positions to the police force, and the nearly 10 percent budget increase.
Council member Rob Morgan says the police force is trying to act too much like police in Wilmington or D.C.
“Year after year the mayor and council have pressed one chief after the other to get his officers out of their cars with little effect," Morgan said. "So our citizens do not know our police officers — and our police officers do not mingle with, and learn the problems of our citizens.”
But Morgan was rebuffed by one of the budget drafters, council member Andrew Williams, who says the city needs the new positions in anticipation of growth over the next few years.
Williams adds that since COVID, more people decided to live in Lewes permanently since they can work remotely. Plus, new hotels in Rehoboth Beach mean more people visiting the seaside town.
The budget passed 4-1, with Morgan dissenting.
Roman Battaglia a corps member with Report for America, a national service program that places journalists into local newsrooms.
