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.
- Data center regulations (New Castle County)
- Weight-loss drug coverage vote (Statewide)
- State legislature reconvenes (Statewide)
- Wilmington party change rules (Wilmington)
- Bryan Allen Stevenson charter school hearing (Georgetown)
New Castle County to consider data center limits
After months of debate, the New Castle County Council may finally vote on a package of regulations meant to limit how and where data centers can be developed in the county.
The northernmost county has been targeted for development of a hyper-scale data center known as Project Washington, which has sparked community concerns around potential strains on energy and water use, while supporters seek to land new construction and permanent jobs.
Councilman Dave Carter, who originally introduced the ordinance in August, has amended it to try to find a compromise.
One of the main points of contention on the new bill was the removal of a “pending ordinance doctrine,” which would allow the county to retroactively apply the proposed regulations to data center applications currently in the development pipeline, including Project Washington.
📍 The New Castle County Council is scheduled to meet at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, March 10, in the Louis L. Redding City County Building, located at 800 N. French St. in Wilmington. For more info on the meeting, including how to attend virtually, click here.
State Employee Benefits Committee to change weight-loss drug coverage
The State Employee Benefits Committee (SEBC), a board responsible for managing Delaware’s state employee health insurance plans, will meet Monday to finalize coverage changes for employees currently using weight-loss drugs.
That meeting was previously canceled last month due to inclement weather.
The changes could mean thousands of employees, retirees or their family members covered under the state’s health plan could soon pay much more out-of-pocket to get their weight-loss prescriptions or be uncovered altogether.
The SEBC previously met on Friday, Feb. 13, to introduce the potential coverage changes.
At that meeting, the committee heard multiple different options that could save the state money, but they would pass costs onto consumers using the drugs in the form of higher co-pays, almost four or five times higher than the current rate.
📍 The State Employee Benefits Committee will meet at 9 a.m. Monday, March 9, at the Delaware Department of Human Resources, located at 841 Silver Lake Blvd., in Suite 100. For more info on the meeting, including how to attend virtually, click here.
Legislature returns to Dover
The Delaware General Assembly will reconvene beginning on Tuesday after a month off for Joint Finance Committee hearings.
Floor votes for the House and Senate are scheduled for Tuesday, March 10, while committee hearings will take place on both Tuesday and Wednesday.
Among bill hearings to watch are:
- HB 258: Would allow Wilmington to set more restrictive limits on liquor stores locations. (House Economic Development, Banking, Insurance & Commerce / Tuesday 12 p.m.)
- HS1 for HB 84: Would prohibit employers from requiring meetings or communications to convey the employer’s political or religious views, including views regarding unionization. (House Labor / Tuesday 1 p.m.)
- HB 265: Would provide limited immunity from prosecution for low-level crimes for persons who seek to report a sexual offense. (House Judiciary / Wednesday 10:30 a.m.)
- HB 186: Would incentivize the construction and operation of a limited number of high-efficiency Combined-Cycle Gas Turbine (CCGT) electrical generation facilities, with an output of between 100 MW and 500 MW, by creating an Electricity Production Tax Credit (EPTC) and bonus credits. (House Revenue & Finance / Wednesday 1 p.m.)
- HB 188: Would allow Delaware voters who are not affiliated with a political party to vote in a political party’s primary election. (House Elections & Government Affairs / Wednesday 1 p.m.)
- HB 308: Would require that meetings of the Public Service Commission be livestreamed virtually and requires that members of the public have the opportunity to comment virtually.
- HB 73: Would raise the senior property tax credit cap from $500 to $1,000. (House Administration / Wednesday 3 p.m.)
📍 The Delaware General Assembly meets at Legislative Hall, located at 411 Legislative Ave. in Dover. Hearings and floor votes are open to the public. For more info, or to watch virtually, click here.
Wilmington to debate party change rules
A proposed resolution before the Wilmington City Council would encourage state legislators to amend the city’s charter to prohibit city council members from switching parties between elections.
Sponsored by Councilman Alexander Hackett, it’s not immediately clear what sparked the introduction of the measure.
However, it comes on the heels of Councilman James Spadola switching from the Republican to Democratic Party last year. The city charter requires that no more than three people be nominated for the council’s four at-large members, which means that a minority political party is always represented.
Because Democrats overwhelmingly hold control of the council, that means the Republican Party always has one seat of the 13 members. Until now, as Spadola’s switch has left the council without a minority party member.
Notably, it also means that if Spadola seeks re-election to an at-large seat, he would be competing with colleagues Hackett, Maria Cabrera and Tish Bracy for the three Democratic seats.
📍 The resolution will be discussed by the council’s Committee of the Whole at 5 p.m. Thursday, March 12, at Louis L. Redding City County Building, located at 800 N. French St. in Wilmington. For more info on the meeting, including how to attend virtually, click here.
Georgetown charter school has final hearing
The Bryan Allen Stevenson School of Excellence in Georgetown will be fighting for its survival at a Monday evening hearing.
Last month, Delaware education officials recommended that the state close the charter school due to its persistent struggles with low enrollment.
The closure recommendation from the Charter School Accountability Committee now goes before Delaware Education Secretary Cindy Marten, who will announce a final decision about whether to revoke BASSE’s charter on March 19.
If she does revoke the charter, the school – which in recent months has served about 120 sixth through ninth graders – would close by the end of this academic year.
Before Marten makes a decision though, the school will have the opportunity to convince her to keep it open.
📍 The public hearing will begin at 5 p.m. Monday, March 9, at the Delaware Technical Community College’s Owens Campus Carter Partnership Center, located at 21179 College Drive in Georgetown. For more info, including how to attend virtually, click here.
Correction: This column originally reported that Wilmington’s city charter required a minority party representative in its four at-large seats. However, it only requires that a political party nominate no more than three candidates, essentially resulting in at least one minority party representative.
