New Castle County Council is set to consider the budget for next fiscal year Tuesday.
After weeks of hearings, New Castle County Councilmembers are preparing to vote on the 2020 budget.
The proposed spending plan County Executive Matt Meyer presented in March totals just over $375 million— a three percent increase in the general fund budget and a four percent increase in the sewer fund budget over this year. The County Executive is also asking for funding for the new Southern regional library.
Several council members recently said they feel positive about the proposed budget.
“[The administration] has done a lot of other initiatives to bring additional funds to the county government,” said Councilman John Cartier. “We now have the lodging tax and we’ve done lot with collecting back taxes. So overall I think the budget just represents incremental increases in line with pay and benefits. So I think we’re feeling very comfortable with it.”
Meyer said his proposed budget reflects his intent to prioritize public safety, parks, libraries and paramedic services.
“When you write the budgets, it’s pretty broadly, and then they have to go back over time to get a little more detail and a little more accountability on it,” said Councilman Dave Carter. “I don’t see any really big obstacles right now. So I think the budget will pass.”
Carter says he hopes to work out details of the spending plan in the areas of land protection, parks south of the C&D Canal and affordable housing. But he says that will be a matter of writing ordinances over the next year.
Councilman Tim Sheldon recently said he plans to vote for the budget.
“Nobody likes tax increases,” he said. “Somebody asked me the other day, believe it or not, at a town hall, ‘How come you need so many paramedics coming?’ Well if you’re on a gurney you don’t care how many paramedics are there, you want to live … You can never have too many paramedics.”
The proposed budget has no new property tax increase. But the second half of the controversial fifteen percent hike council narrowly passed last year will be phased in July 1.
A compromise substitute budget ordinance was needed a year ago to pass that tax hike as part of the Fiscal Year 2019 budget.
Wilmington City Council recently passed a budget package that raised sewer fees for city customers but not county customers.
