Why Should Delaware Care?
Government works best when its citizens are knowledgeable and engaged. Delaware’s government has scores of commissions, working groups, agencies and legislative committees. All must hold meetings that are open to the public.
The meat of Delaware’s legislative session starts Wednesday.
A week after lawmakers learned they would have an extra $100 million to spend, a select group of them who serve on the Joint Finance Committee will begin publicly deciding the amount of money to send to schools, police, and other state-funded programs for the 2026 fiscal year – which begins July 1.
Those budget meetings – referred to as the markup – will provide clarity to what has been months of speculation about which state government programs will expand, and which could be cut back, during a period of rising fiscal uncertainty.
However the negotiations turn out over the two weeks, they could still be upended if Congress passes proposed cuts to Medicaid. The move could prompt Democratic state lawmakers to undo previous budget commitments and instead direct more of the state’s money to the healthcare program.
The Joint Finance Committee will meet at Legislative Hall in Dover on Wednesday and Thursday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. The committee – which is made up of state legislators from the House and Senate – also is scheduled to meet the following week.
To watch the Wednesday meeting virtually, click here. For the Thursday hearing, click here.
Another big warehouse in Delaware?
Also on Wednesday, Delaware state planners will hear proposals from developers who want to build a 400,000 square-foot warehouse in Selbyville, and 434 homes in Smyrna, among other projects.
The proposals continue a yearslong building boom in Delaware, particularly below the C&D Canal, that in recent years has become a thorny political issue. Longtime residents decry the transformation of largely rural lands into suburbs, while pro-development groups say the state needs more jobs and more homes to ease rising costs.
Last year, Spotlight Delaware reported that Delaware’s Preliminary Land Use Service committee had considered proposals that in total would bring more than 25,000 new homes to the state.
Wednesday’s meeting of the Preliminary Land Use Service – or PLUS – committee is scheduled from 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. in Dover. Click here for information about attending the meeting virtually or in person.
To see details of the projects being proposed, go to the meeting page here, then click on the download link for the meeting’s agenda.
The PLUS committee generally represents the first step in an approval process for a construction project. It gives developers an early opportunity to hear comments from transportation and environmental regulators.
Are renters being priced out?
The Wilmington City Council will also discuss rising housing costs next week when they consider an ordinance that would limit residential rent increases to 3% each year, with certain exemptions.
The sponsor of the ordinance, Councilwoman Shané Darby, says it is intended to protect working-class people from being “priced out of their homes.”
Opponents say the move will stifle plans to build new residential developments. Among the opposition is Mayor John Carney and Gov. Matt Meyer.
The city council’s Committee of the Whole will meet Thursday from 5 to 8 p.m. to discuss the ordinance and other measures. The council calls it a virtual meeting with an anchor location on the first floor of the Louis L. Redding City County Building.
To attend the meeting virtually, click here. If you would like to make a public comment at the meeting, sign up here.
