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.
- General Assembly property tax working group convenes
- Public weighs in on ChristianaCare’s proposed southern expansions
- Dover planners consider downtown revitalization projects
Lawmakers to discuss property tax reforms
State lawmakers are set to convene the first meeting of a new property tax working group Monday morning to discuss reforms to the state’s property tax system in the wake of last year’s controversial reassessment saga.
The group, led by Rep. Frank Burns (D-Pike Creek) and Sen. Russ Huxtable (D-Lewes), will investigate potential policy levers the state or its three counties could employ to ease the property tax burden on residents.
The legislature’s joint property tax committee discussed some of these policy levers, such as homestead exemptions and circuit breaker programs, during hearings last fall.
📍 The General Assembly’s Property Tax Relief and Modernization Working Group will meet at 10 a.m. Monday inside Legislative Hall, located at 411 Legislative Mall in Dover. For more information, including on virtual attendance, click here.
Public comment on proposed ChristianaCare expansions
Residents will have the chance to weigh in Thursday morning on ChristianaCare’s proposed expansions into Camden and Georgetown during a public hearing held by the Delaware Health Care Commission.
The proposed expansions have already drawn criticism from downstate hospital systems, but it remains to be seen how residents feel about the possibility of the state’s healthcare giant expanding its footprint in Kent and Sussex County.
📍 The ChristianaCare Camden and Georgetown Health Campus Public Hearing will take place at 9 a.m. Thursday, inside the Department of Health and Social Services Chapel Building, located at 1901 N. DuPont Highway in New Castle. For more information, including on virtual attendance, click here.
Dover planners consider downtown revitalization
Dover planners will consider proposals Monday night that could help further city leaders’ plans of revitalizing the capitol city’s downtown core.
Dover’s former post office is in a prime location on Loockerman Street, but it has sat empty since 2020. Now, a developer is hoping to turn the property into a mixed-used development with apartments and first floor commercial space.
Though not tied directly to the city’s “Capitol City 2030” plan, the development would mark another step toward the vision of breathing new life into downtown Dover.
📍 The Dover Planning Commission will meet at 7 p.m. Monday inside City Council Chambers, located at 15 Loockerman Plaza in Dover. For more information, including on virtual attendance, click here.
