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.
- Council on Development Finance to consider charter school, private lender proposals
- Sussex County Council to consider controversial development reform proposals
- Wilmington Learning Collaborative to discuss its fiscal year 2027 budget
- Kent County to oppose state-imposed development regulations
Charter school, private student lender vie for state funds
The state’s Council on Development Finance is set to consider issuing $20 million in bonds for a local charter school, and whether a private student loan provider should receive more than three quarters of a million dollars in grant funding at its meeting on Monday.
The CDF oversees funds that are used to attract and retain jobs, or create new business investments in Delaware. Its role has come under the microscope of Gov. Matt Meyer, who has opposed major cash grants to corporations in order to locate or grow in Delaware.
This time, the Newark-based ASPIRA bilingual charter school is seeking $20 million in bonds to fund various capital improvement projects across its campus. Some of those proposals include building a new athletics complex at the ASPIRA high school and additional classrooms at its K-8 campus.
Along with considering ASPIRA bonds, the CDF will also determine whether the private student loan provider GradBridge should receive its $787,500 grant request.
GradBridge, according to its website, provides a “second-look private student loan program” for borrowers who have been denied access to traditional private loans.
📍 The CDF is scheduled to meet at 10 a.m. Monday inside the Delaware Public Archives, located at 121 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd N in Dover. For more details, including information about virtual attendance, click here.
Sussex to consider development reform
Sussex County Council is set to once again consider a pair of proposed development reforms on Tuesday, one of which has been the subject of scrutiny by farmers across Delaware’s southernmost county.
One proposal could discourage a long-criticized practice of building large housing developments on land that is located far from established cities and towns and is targeted for preservation. Specifically, it would ban subdivisions with more than two homes per acre on farm fields and require more open space within those developments.
Advocates say the rules will encourage developers to instead build new homes where infrastructure already exists. But some farmers said the proposal would also devalue their land, which they often rely on as collateral for loans needed to operate their farms.
The second proposal would reform Sussex County’s affordable housing program. The ordinance would raise limits on rent, and lower the required number of affordable units for a housing development to qualify for a county program that incentivizes developers to build affordable rental units, specifically in areas near the Delaware beaches.
📍 The Sussex County Council is scheduled to meet at 10 a.m. Tuesday inside Council Chambers at the Sussex County Administrative Office Building, located at 2 The Circle in Georgetown. For more details, including information about virtual attendance, click here.
Wilmington Learning Collaborative to discuss its budget
The Wilmington Learning Collaborative is set to discuss its more than $8 million budget for the 2027 fiscal year at its meeting on Wednesday.
The WLC is an appointed working group focused on improving educational achievement in the city of Wilmington.
The group’s largest budget line item includes more than $2.8 million to fund flexible staff positions across its member school districts aimed at reducing class sizes, up from $2.7 million during the last fiscal year.
📍 The WLC is scheduled to meet at 6 p.m. Wednesday at Warner Elementary School, located at 801 W. 18th St. in Wilmington. For more details, including information about virtual attendance, click here.
Kent County leaders to oppose state legislation targeting development reforms
The Kent County Levy Court is set to consider two resolutions on Tuesday opposing bills working their way through the General Assembly that would institute development reforms across the state.
The two resolutions would oppose Senate Bill 23 and House Bill 450, respectively. The two bills, if passed, would place new requirements on municipalities across Delaware that are meant to spur the development of more affordable housing options.
Levy Court commissioners, in their resolutions, say the two bills would create legal uncertainty and operational challenges for the county, along with infringing upon local control over development regulations.
The resolutions are the latest in a series of steep opposition to SB 23, which was the subject of scrutiny by local government leaders during a recent Senate committee hearing.
📍 The Kent County Levy Court is scheduled to meet at 7 p.m. Tuesday at the Kent County Administration Building, located at 555 Bay Road in Dover. For more details, including information about virtual attendance, click here.
Jacob Owens and Olivia Marble contributed to this report.
