New Castle County Executive's budget proposal aims to fix county's deficit

By Tom Byrne

Published April 3, 2026 at 12:19 PM EDT

Earlier this month, New Castle County Executive Marcus Henry’s budget address offered some sour fiscal news for the state’s largest county.

Henry says the county faces a $42-million deficit - and to fill it, he’s proposing a 17.2% property tax increase, along with budget cuts and a hiring freeze.

Earlier this week, Marcus Henry sat down with DPM's Tom Byrne to discuss New Castle County’s fiscal health and his budget proposal.

New Castle County Budget

DPM's Tom Byrne discussed the county's deficit with Executive Marcus Henry

The Green

Tom Byrne

Tom Byrne has been a fixture covering news in Delaware for three decades. He joined Delaware Public Media in 2010 as our first news director and has guided the news team ever since. When he's not covering the news, he can be found reading history or pursuing his love of all things athletic.

See stories by Tom Byrne