Tharros has an agreement to operate its tent village for those experiencing homelessness off Route 1 with both the state and Sussex County. Sussex County’s ordinance governing the operation is virtually a direct copy of the state agreement.
The problem is how to address updating the county agreement when the state agreement is updated. Currently, there is a difference involving what and where Tharros can store things on the property, important when the village closes for the cold weather months.
Tharros site director Mike Agnew says the organization would like to make maintaining the ongoing agreement easier for both parties by introducing language that automatically updates the ordinance in Sussex when new agreements with the state are made.
“As changes occur with our agreement with the state, we have to change the ordinance, and that’s an expensive ordinance. So I think both the county learned and we learned that we need more broader language in the ordinance.” he told DPM. “In this particular case, we had Item K that said that we couldn’t leave anything behind, and now the state has given us permission to leave things behind. So, we have to change the ordinance, and that’s an expensive process that requires legal counsel.”
Agnew says they are seeking a new provision that will automatically update the county agreement to reflect any agreements Tharros has with the state, which will save time and money.
Sussex officials were wary of the change, voicing concerns the change would remove Sussex from the conversation.
Sussex Planning and Zoning commissioners voted to table the matter last week to allow for new language to be drafted.
