Rehoboth Beach Commissioners pass a budget which includes a property tax increase.
The over $38.6 million budget is set to increase resident property taxes by 29%.
Rehoboth Beach Mayor Stan Mills says in his 16 years as an elected official this was the most difficult budget.
"This is only the third time, I believe in 16 years, that we have raised property taxes,” said Mills. “So my personal philosophy is that property owners need to pay their fair share, and it's something that they're not immune to having to pay their fair share. So, it was again a very difficult decision this year."
The property tax increase still has to be finalized at the Rehoboth Beach Commissioners June meeting.
There will also be a 28% increase in wastewater meter fees to help fund improvements at the wastewater treatment facility.
Mills notes residents aren’t the only ones facing increases. Rehoboth Commissioners are upping hourly parking fees for meters from $3 to $4, increasing parking permit fees, and boosting the rental tax rate from 6% to 7%.
He adds these moves were all made as the city was facing a $4.5 million shortfall, and the city put only needs in the budget, not wish-list items.
Mills says one thing that was important to Commissioners was making sure there were no cuts in staff.
"We chose to put them in there. So we did look at everything with a fine-toothed comb, and we decided that there were no wish-list items in there. They were all needs, and so we pretty much left everything alone and that's why we decided to take a look at additional revenue sources," said Mills.
The budget includes salary increases, 27% increase in health insurance costs for employees, and a new deputy police chief, two additional entry-level officers, part-time deputy clerk, and additional 9-1-1 dispatcher.
It also calls for $10 million in infrastructure improvements, including resurfacing Rehoboth Avenue, construction of new beach patrol headquarters and bathrooms, and wastewater treatment plant upgrades.
