Delaware’s Dept. of Natural Resources and Environmental Control asked the Joint Finance Committee to approve plans for more flexibility in its operational spending budget.
DNREC Secretary Greg Patterson told the group of lawmakers on Tuesday that just over half of his department’s operating budget is self-generated through fees and permits. And he wants permission to use more of that revenue to cover budget costs.
He requested $136.7 million in special funds from revenue. The governor's budget recommends about $10 thousand less.
“There’s some areas where there’s money that we have brought in that we could be using for things like scrap tire clean up and boat ramp repairs," Patterson said. "We just need the permission from the budget committee to do that."
For boat ramp repairs and fish and wild life programs, he asked for approximately $500 thousand in funds generated through fishing license revenue.
He noted DNREC expects to see an additional $2.6 million in revenue from increased park fees.
The governor’s proposed budget for fiscal year 2027 sits at more than $231.4 million, which is about $13 million more than last year. Most of that increase– about $11 million– is special funds from revenue.
The rest of the budget is covered by general funds and federal money, which have $55.7 million and $49 million recommended respectively. These pools of recommended funding remain relatively flat compared to 2026.
Patterson said the General Assembly’s approval of more discretionary spending wold allow his department to start better planning for the future.
But it's a modest increase compared to funding needs for larger projects like the Cape Henlopen Park Office and Entrance, which would cost about $10 million.
"That's beyond our being able to pay for with our parks revenue," Patterson said. "We need Bond Bill allocations. The park fee increase that has gone into effect – that's just to keep the parks operational."
Meyer’s spending plan also envisions a drop in Bond Bill funding for DNREC’s capital projects, only approving about a third of expenses listed in the bond bill.
The Bond Bill committee goes through a separate budget process. It meets later in the year to work on that budget.
