Sussex County adopts $142 million budget for Fiscal 2008

Georgetown, Del., June 19, 2007: Sussex County has a budget for the new year that begins July 1, thanks to the County Council’s approval of the $142 million spending plan for Fiscal 2008.

County Council, following a public hearing Tuesday, June 19, 2007, unanimously approved the proposed Fiscal Year 2008 budget with only one amendment – to increase funding by $96,000 for area senior centers and CHEER programs.

The adopted budget keeps in place the county’s property tax rate of 44.5 cents per $100 of assessed value, making this the 18 consecutive budget in which the rate has remained the same. th

The spending plan, however, is more conservative than previous budgets given the anticipated drop in revenue from realty transfer tax. The decline is the result of a cooling housing market. The budget is approximately $2 million more, or 1.4 percent, over the current year’s $140 million budget. The new budget, as well as new assessment rolls and sewer rates, takes effect July 1.

While the property tax rate will remain unchanged, some rates, for about half of the County’s 57,500 sewer customers, will increase by a range of 1 percent to 8 percent. The increases are needed to cover higher operational costs.

“I am pleased that we have been able to maintain current County services, given the decline in housing and construction-related revenues,” County Administrator David B. Baker said. “I want to thank the County Council, department heads and the budget committee for their assistance and ‘reasonable’ budget requests this year.”

The new budget includes funding for, among other things:

  • $23 million dedicated for public safety, an increase of 10 percent over the 2007 budget. That funding will pay for the County’s 119-member paramedic program, grants to local volunteer fire companies and town police forces, and covers the addition of four troopers to the County under the Delaware State Police contract;
  • $10.5 million for non-sewer capital improvements, including $3.75 million for an additional administrative office building, $4.4 million for the construction of a second runway at the Sussex County Airport, and $376,000 for expansions at the Greenwood, South Coastal and Milton libraries;
  • $1.4 million to continue open space acquisition;
  • $150,000 for a records retention program.

Council President Dale R. Dukes praised the budget’s writers – the committee included Mr. Baker, Finance Director Susan M. Webb, Budget and Cost Manager Kathy Roth and Accounting Director Gina Jennings – for meeting the County’s growing needs in light of the softening real estate market and associated transfer tax revenue.

“My thanks to Mr. Baker and the budget committee for their hard work, despite some lower revenues and some unanswered questions still lingering in Dover,” Council President Dukes said. “I hope our legislators take notice of this hard work, and don’t decide at the 11th hour to alter the County’s portion of the realty transfer tax. To do so will no doubt undo a lot of effort, and necessitate budget reductions that would affect all Sussex Countians.”

Copies of the Fiscal Year 2008 budget, the accompanying budget letter and original news release issued May 22, 2007, are posted on the county’s web site at sussexcountyde.gov.