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City Council passes Wilmington budget

Mayor Mike Purzycki’s spending plan for fiscal year 2019 was approved by City Council in a 9-4 vote Thursday.

The just over $163 million budget is nearly five percent bigger than the current one. There’s no property tax increase, but it includes a four percent hike in water and sewer rates.

 

Purzycki is pleased to have the budget in place, despite some criticism from City Council.

“This budget allows us to advance on a number of fronts,” he said. “We want to continue to advance our public safety programming. ”

Public safety spending includes salaries for 24 new police officers, an updated neighborhood camera system and renovation of four city fire stations.

Councilman Samuel Guy was among the budget critics, saying too much money is spent on the Riverfront and downtown at the expense of neighborhoods. Purzycki disagrees.

“We are probably focusing more on neighborhoods than any administration in memory,” he said.

The Mayor notes the city is working with private sector and foundations to direct funds to housing throughout the city.

The budget will also support a new LED lighting system throughout the city, a 311 call center and acquisition of problem properties.

Councilman Ciro Adams voted against the budget on financial grounds.

“This budget has got structural deficits,” he said. “In two years, the only department we’ve managed to cut so far is the fire department. And that’s a disgrace.”

Other opposition came from Councilmen Va'Shun Turner and Ernest Congo. Congo argued the process for drafting and approving the budget was flawed, as no outside agency was consulted.

 

Sophia Schmidt is a Delaware native. She comes to Delaware Public Media from NPR’s Weekend Edition in Washington, DC, where she produced arts, politics, science and culture interviews. She previously wrote about education and environment for The Berkshire Eagle in Pittsfield, MA. She graduated from Williams College, where she studied environmental policy and biology, and covered environmental events and local renewable energy for the college paper.
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