County Council, May 26, 2026
Approved: Recreational property tax exempt status - Wilmington Community Rowing Foundation (Resolution 26-109), 13-0
What happened
On May 26, 2026, New Castle County approved Recreational property tax exempt status - Wilmington Community Rowing Foundation (Resolution 26-109) (13-0).
New Castle County Council adopted its FY2027 budget package on May 26, 2026, including the annual operating budget (Ordinance 26-038) on an 11-2 vote and the annual revenue ordinance (Ordinance 26-034) carrying a 17.2% county property tax increase on a 10-2 vote.
- Jurisdiction
- New Castle County, DE
- Governing body
- Final authority
- Date
- May 26, 2026
- Decisions
- 15 zoning decisions
- Outcome
- Approved, 13-0
Free sample: decision 1 of 15
FY2027 Annual Operating Budget (Ordinance 26-038)
Adopted the annual operating budget of New Castle County for fiscal year beginning July 1, 2026. Budget relies on borrowing roughly $18.4 million from reserves ($8M RTT reserve, $10.4M general fund tax stabilization reserve) and includes cuts to libraries (~11%), community services, and park staffing. Passed 11-2; Caneco and Tackett voted no. Required 10 votes.
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Key Decisions (15)
FY2027 Annual Operating Budget (Ordinance 26-038)
FY2027 Annual Revenue Ordinance (Ordinance 26-034) - 17.2% tax increase
Amendment 1 to Ordinance 26-038 - cut Project Seed funding
Amendment 2 to Ordinance 26-038 - cut CIT program
Amendment 3 to Ordinance 26-038 - unfund financial advisor position
Amend pay plan for administrative aide to county council (Ordinance 26-057)
GO Bond authorization for FY2027 capital projects (Ordinance 26-036)
FY2027 Capital Budget Ordinance (Ordinance 26-037)
FY2027-2032 Capital Program (Resolution 26-085)
Sewer service charges FY2027 (Ordinance 26-035)
Procedural rule amendment on public comment (Resolution 26-110)
Recreational property tax exempt status - Wilmington Community Rowing Foundation (Resolution 26-109)
Refund of overpayment of county taxes (Resolution 26-108)
Donated landscaping services for Holloway Terrace Park (Ordinance 26-054)
Cal Ripken Foundation Route 9 Library Grant (Ordinance 26-055)
Full write-ups and conditions for all 15 decisions in Pro.
Development Activity (3)
Holloway Terrace Park landscaping
Infrastructure
Cal Ripken Foundation Route 9 Library STEM Project
Other
New Castle County redevelopment code
Other
Market Signals (6)
Sentiment
Numerous residents and seniors testified that a 17.2% county tax…
Infrastructure
Council is pursuing energy concurrency guardrails requiring data centers to…
Housing Demand
Delaware foreclosures are reportedly at an all-time high, with multiple…
3 additional market signals with full detail in Pro.
Who spoke
20 distinct speakers; 10 identified names.
All speaker roles: 8 Public, 2 Clerk, 9 Councilmember, 1 Chair.
Identified name roles: 1 Clerk, 9 Councilmember.
Speaker sample: Tackett, Councilmember.
9 more identified names in Pro: 1 Clerk, 8 Councilmember.
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Meeting audio
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Zoning terms (6)
18 recorded timestamps
- motion to approve (1 timestamps)
- approved (9 timestamps)
- tabled (3 timestamps)
- residential (1 timestamps)
- land use (3 timestamps)
- rezoning (1 timestamps)
Decision moments (15)
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Go deeper on this meeting
15 recorded decisions. Available full write-ups are included with Pro for New Castle County.
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