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. Below we highlight a few of those meetings that are happening this week.
Below are some of the most important or interesting public meetings happening around the state this week.
- The Laurel and Caesar Rodney school districts to seek tax increases
- Delaware’s hospital oversight board to meet for the first time since lawmakers blunted one of its key enforcement measures
- Lawmakers to continue reviewing the governor’s proposed budget
- New Castle County leaders to weigh in on Delmarva Power’s proposed rate hike
Laurel & Caesar Rodney ask to raise property taxes
The Caesar Rodney and Laurel school districts will ask their communities to approve tax increases during referendums scheduled for Monday.
Caesar Rodney has the lowest local funding and the lowest school tax rate in Kent County, according to district leaders. Meanwhile in Laurel, the school district has not held a referendum since 1985.
The Caesar Rodney School District is seeking an additional $6 million annually, while the smaller Laurel School District is asking for $1.6 million.
Both districts say they need the new dollars to fund ongoing operations, including initiatives to retain and recruit teachers and other educators.
Caesar Rodney says its request would also pay for school safety, arts programs and bus services, among other items. Laurel says its requested tax hike would stabilize the district’s budget.
If voters approve Caesar Rodney’s request, owners of a home worth about $300,000 in the district would pay just under $23 more per month in property taxes.
If Laurel’s request is successful, an average $230,000 home would pay roughly $14.25 more each month.
📍 Polls in the Caesar Rodney School District will be open Monday from 7 a.m. until 8 p.m. at Caesar Rodney High School, Fred Fifer III Middle School, W. Reily Brown Elementary School, Allen Frear Elementary School, Nellie Stokes Elementary School, Star Hill Elementary School, David E. Robinson Elementary School, and the Magnolia Volunteer Fire Company.
📍 Polls in the Laurel School District will also be open Monday Feb. 9, from 7 a.m. until 8 p.m. at Laurel Elementary School, the Laurel Fire Department, and the North Laurel Early Learning Academy.
Hospital oversight board meetings resume following lawmaker intervention
The Diamond State Hospital Cost Review Board will meet Tuesday morning, the first time the oversight body will convene since lawmakers blunted one of its key enforcement mechanisms as part of a legal settlement between the state and its largest hospital system, ChristianaCare.
Lawmakers passed Senate Bill 213 last month as part of a proposed legal settlement between ChristianaCare and state officials. The settlement stems from a lawsuit filed by ChristianaCare in 2024 that challenged the constitutionality of the state’s formation of a hospital oversight board with the power to modify and veto budgeted spending by private hospitals.
The legislation, signed into law by Gov. Matt Meyer last week, removed the oversight board’s ability to modify and veto private hospital budgets.
Now, if a hospital’s spending exceeds the state’s projected benchmark, the cost review board would require it to send in a compliance plan outlining how it intends to bring it down.
📍 The Diamond State Hospital Cost Review Board will meet from 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Tuesday at the Herman M. Holloway Sr. Campus – DHSS Chapel, located at 1901 N Dupont Highway in New Castle. For information about virtual attendance, click here.
JFC continues reviewing Meyer’s budget proposal
The General Assembly’s Joint Finance Committee will continue its scrutiny this week of Gov. Matt Meyer’s proposed $6.9 billion operating budget for the 2027 fiscal year.
The committee hearings, scheduled for Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, will feature a series of testimony from state agency directors who will explain their specific operational requests for the following year.
Hearings on Tuesday will feature testimony from the Department of Elections, the Department of Insurance, the state Treasurer and the state Auditor.
Wednesday will include testimony from the departments of Correction, Safety and Homeland Security, and Justice, along with the Delaware Criminal Justice Information System.
Thursday will feature testimony from the Governor’s Advisory Council for Exceptional Citizens, Department of Services for Children, Youth, & Their Families and the Delaware State Housing Authority.
Testimony from the remaining state offices and agencies will occur in later weeks.
📍 The Joint Finance Committee will meet from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday at Legislative Hall, located at 411 Legislative Ave. in Dover. For information about virtual attendance for the Tuesday meeting, click here. For the Wednesday meeting, click here. And for the Thursday meeting, click here.
New Castle Council weighs in on Delmarva’s proposed rate hike
The New Castle County Council on Tuesday will consider a resolution urging state energy regulators to reject Delmarva Power’s proposed $67.8 million rate hike.
The resolution, sponsored by council members Dee Durham and David Tackett, marks the latest rebuke of Delaware’s largest energy provider and rising electricity costs.
Gov. Matt Meyer called on the state’s Public Service Commission to deny the request in his State of the State address while a coalition of the legislature’s top Democrats have also sent a letter seeking a denial.
In December, Delmarva Power filed a request for a rate increase with the state’s Public Service Commission that could raise an average homeowner’s utility bill by 4%. It is the third rate hike request filed by Delmarva in five years.
📍 The New Castle County Council will meet at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday at the Louis L. Redding City County Building, located at 800 N. French St. in Wilmington. For more information, including about virtual attendance, click here.
Karl Baker, Julia Merola, Jacob Owens and Nick Stonesifer contributed to this report.
