The Wilmington City Council approved the Fiscal Year 2020 budget which comes with no increase in property taxes, but hikes sewer and water charges paid by city residents.
The budget was approved by a vote of 8 to 1 with four members absent. The OK came after an earlier rejection by a one-vote margin that seemed to be a symbolic gesture that reflects the ongoing tensions between the city administration and the council.
The city’s new fiscal 2020 operating budget totals $167.4 million, an increase of 3.1 percent, or $5.1 million, over the current operating budget.
Council also approved the new water and sewer budget, which funds the city’s water utility. The water utility’s multiple year plan supports clean water production and sewer services and provides for revenue for planned infrastructure maintenance and improvements as well as emergencies.
The water/sewer budget includes a 3.8 percent rate increase for city customers ($2.21 increase per month for customers using an average of 4,000 gallons of water) and freezes the current rate for customers who reside in New Castle County.
The mayor said the decision to include no increase for County customers is due to a long-standing disparity in service delivery charges for city and county customers. Mayor Purzycki said he is committed to developing a plan that reflects a more accurate cost of service rate system for city and county customers.
Purzycki said his administration’s two-year accomplishments include, according to a press release:
- A drop in gun-related and overall crime as well as improved community and police engagement;
- Improvements to City fire stations and to Wilmington’s only community center—the William “Hicks” Anderson Center;
- The Baynard Stadium and Eden Park improvement projects, which are currently underway;
- The HBCU College Fair, which has made college possible for more than 1,000 local high school students;
- Important environmental advances, such as the South Wilmington Wetland Project, which will launch shortly, and the EPA study of the former Diamond Salvage site in Northeast Wilmington;
- A continuing push for revisions to the City Housing Code to stabilize neighborhoods and improve the living conditions of renters;
- The completion of a new Comprehensive Plan for Wilmington that will guide the City’s growth and development for the next 10 years;
- The completion of a strategic plan that, for the first time, aligns administration initiatives and funding decisions to measurable departmental goals and objectives;
- New government efficiency and transparency efforts such as the soon to debut OpenGov platform for public viewing of operating and capital expenditure reports and other department information and statistics; a one-stop 311 Call Center set to launch in July for more efficient resolution of citizen inquiries and concerns; the OnBase online submission and review process for small and large development projects; and the recent implementation of CityStat, an internal government management process that uses data to hold department directors and employees
