Town Council - Regular Meeting

I'm not even thinking about that yet. Oh, shoot. I'm I've been thinking about for a couple years now. Yep. Went to the doctor today and found out all my ailments as getting closer and closer. Cheers. Except I wait until next summer. When I retire, I want to get on the motorcycle and take off and then don't turn around for about 30 days and then come back.

Nope. I think he just wants to put the monkey. Did you get your

Good evening. Today is Monday, April 27th. We're at 39 to circle. It is 7:00 p.m. We're here for a regular town council meeting. If everybody will rise for a pledge of allegiance and invocation, please. I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for it stands one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. Pastor Neil,

turn of God, we thank you God for your love, your grace, and your mercy. Know we thank you God for your wisdom and knowledge. We ask you God to bless tonight as we conduct this uh town council meeting. God continue to bless our town. God, continue to bless our country. In Jesus name we pray. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. You can be seated. Council, hopefully you've had a chance to look at the agenda. If there's no uh uh additions or deletions, I enter entertain a motion to accept. So moved. Thank you. Penol, do I have a second? Second. Thank you, Eric Christina. All in favor signify by saying I.

I oppose. So carried. Uh two sets of minutes. Uh first one is April 13th uh 2026 minutes. If there's no uh additions or deletions, I'd entertain a motion to accept. So moved. Thank you, Christine. Do I have a second? Second. Thank you, Tony. All in favor signify by saying I I opposed. So carried. Second set is April 17th, 2026 minutes. Uh if there's no additions or deletions, I'd entertain a motion to accept. So moved. Thank you, Eric. Do I have a second? Second. Thank you, Penn. All in favor signify by saying I. I oppose. So carried. Council members comments ward four.

It's good seeing everyone here this evening. Thank you. Thank you, Pendle. Ward one, good evening everyone. Thank you for being here. Ward two, just glad to see everybody this evening. And board three. Oh, welcome and thank you all for coming out this evening. Moving on. Uh number six on the item, planning commission appointments. Gan, members, council, there's one vacancy on the planning commission. We received two letters of interest. One from Mr. Ira Roach III and one from Miss Jennifer Weaver. Pleasure of the mayor and council. I believe you have letters from each one in your packets. Comments or questions? Entertain the motion to accept one of them.

I'll go back and and uh I'll nominate Ira Roach again. Um I think I'd like to give him a full two years or I guess it's a two or three year per term uh to get a full handle on it and see what he's got available. Jennifer Weaver though is definitely qualified to go into the position also. And if we have a position coming up somewhere else, we ought to solicit her. Yeah, I think we need to keep her on the radar so we can put her into a position. So there there's a motion for Ara. Do I have a second? Second. Thank you, Pennina. All in favor signify saying I I opposed. No votes. Tony vote relevant.

Thank you. Uh so moved. Ara has got the position and uh Gan if you notify Jennifer that uh we want her to continue to be involved and uh the next availability will more than likely be hers. We'll do project 2024 shortleaf preserve. Members of council have number seven on the agenda is project 2022-14 shortleaf preserve. This is approval of the final subdivision plan and the public works agreement. Public works agreement has been reviewed by the town engineer and town solicitor and is consistent with public works agreement in the past for other similar projects. Pleasure of the mayor and council.

Questions, comments. Council, when do they plan on starting? Not sure if there's someone in the audience that might be able to answer that question. June. June. Okay. Thank you. Thank you. We need a motion. So moved. Thank you. Penaniel. Second is Eric. Second. Yep. All in favor signal by saying I. I. Opposed. So move. Resolution 202603 adoption of 2027 budget.

Members of council resolution item number eight on the agenda is resolution 2026-3. a resolution approving the town of Georgetown, Delaware budget for fiscal year 2027 and establishing budget amendment authority. Whereas the town of Georgetown has adopted the provisions of the town of Georgetown charter article 5 financial affairs powers and procedures section 5.2 annual budget. And whereas the town manager has prepared a budget for the fiscal year ending April 30, 2027, fiscal year 2027 consistent with the charter. And whereas the town council does hereby authorize the town manager, town administrator to transfer any unexpended and unencumbered appropriations at any time throughout fiscal year 2027 from one line item to another, one object category to another within a department or one department to another within a fund without further approval of the town council. And whereas the budget for the town of Georgetown for the fiscal year ending April 30, 2027 as submitted by the town manager and as amended by amended and adopted by the town council on 27th day of April 2026 is hereby ratified. And whereas the town council recommends adoption of the fiscal year 2027 budget totaling 11,512,817. And now therefore, be it resolved by the town council of the town of Georgetown, section one, the town council of the town of Georgetown does hereby adopt the fiscal year 2027 budget on the 27th day of April 2026 with total resources available in the amount of 11,512,817 are hereby established as follows. Administration department $4,876,935. Police Department 384,695. Streets 996,500. Water 1,667,450 sewer 2,443,437.

Community development or planning and zoning $587,800 and trash 556,000 totaling 11,512,817. Section two, the town of Georgetown will no longer accept out of town sewer request for sanitary sewer service. All requests lawfully in place prior to the date of this resolution shall be grandfathered. Section three for fiscal year 2027, 100% of the anticipated revenues have been fully appropriated with no funds set aside as promulgated under resolution number 2010-6. Section 4. This resolution shall become effective immediately upon its approval by council. Be it enacted by a majority vote of the town council of the town of Georgetown, Delaware on this 27th day of April, AD, 2026. Pleasure of the mayor and councel.

Thank you, Jean. Any questions, comments? I think we were all on the workshop. We all saw what uh what our figures are and what it looks like. So, uh with that, uh I'd entertain a motion to accept resolution 20263. So moved. Thank you, Christine. Do I have a second? Second. Thank you, Eric. All in favor signify by saying I. I opposed. So carried. First reading of ordinance uh 20263.

Amendments of council. Ordinance number 2026-03. An ordinance to amend the code of the town of Georgetown, chapter 98 thereof, entitled fees. I'm just going to read the fees that are being modified. Um section 98-5, utility services. The following fee schedule is hereby adopted for utility services provided town of Georgetown. Trash fee per quarter, $70 per unit. That's $2 more than what we had prior. Water debt service fees going um to $1063 per 30,000 gallons of usage. The prior rate was $9.66. Sewer availability per quarter. Uh no change. Sewer debt service fee $6.64 per 30,000 gallons usage. The prior rate was $6.51. Sewer usage rate in town is going to $6.23 per 1,000 gallons usage. Previous rate was 6.04. Out of town rate is 935 per 10,000 gallons usage. The prior rate was 9.06. Section 98-7 taxes. The following ski the following fee schedule is hereby adopted for taxes for the town of Georgetown. Property tax is.31 per $100 of assessed value. The prior rate was $441 per $100. Uh this is based on the reassessment through Sussex County. Pull and wire tax rate is adjusted to 2.35 per $100 of assessed value. That's a reduction from 3.69. First reading, no action required this evening, sir.

Questions, comments. Council, first reading. This will stay open uh for two weeks and then come back for a final vote. Moving on, departmental reports. Town manager Gene Deon.

Okay, members of council, a couple items. The police and public works facility. Um site grading continues. This is photographs that were taken at the end of last week. Um looking towards Sunbehavioral from the 18404 corridor. The pump station rehabilitation. This is the big park pump station by the Georgetown Presbyterian Church. Uh the last item we were relating we were waiting waiting on was the door to be installed that has been completed. It is just relating to be painted. That's the last item there and then that will extinguish all of our ARPA money. Parsons Lane trail head and parking area site grading is underway as well as storm water management. the Richard Allen playground. Um we received um 20 2025 community reinvestment funds totaling $100,000 that was spent to put in this new playground equipment that's uh currently being installed. We did receive notice of a surface water matching planning grant. Um this is to map all of the privately owned storm water facilities and storm sewer infrastructure. The total project cost was $100,000. It's a 50% match. So, the grant we received is $50,000. Reminder, the 2026 municipal election will be Saturday, May the 9th. Polls will be open from 8:00 a.m. to 6 o'clock p.m. Voter registration ends Wednesday, May the 6th. Can register at the Sussex County Department of Elections on North Ray Street. General items of interest. Supportive housing issues committee will meet this Thursday, April 30th, 4 p.m. here at Town Hall. The America 250 committee meeting will be on Monday, May the 4th, 10:30 here at Town Hall. Sussex County Association of Towns will meet Wednesday, May the 6th, 6 o'clock PM. That's hosted by the town of Bridgeville. Sussex County Association of Towns steering committee meeting will be Friday, May the 8th, 9:00 a.m. at First State Community Action Agency. And Delaware Local Government Day at Legislative Hall will be Thursday, May the 14th, 11:30 a.m. That's in Dover. Anyone who's interested in going, please let me know by this Friday. And then

I'll go through uh legislation that's changed since the last report. So the first one is House Bill 133. This deals with fines. Uh that did um pass the um House on March the 24th. There was a House Amendment 4 added to it that's passed with the bill and that was introduced on the 24th to the Judiciary Committee in the Senate. House Bill 135, Protections for Delawarians Experiencing Homelessness. We are in opposition to this bill. That was introduced on April the 21st. Um the housing committee did have a hearing on the 21st. It did not get out of committee as they're awaiting several um amendments to that bill. House Bill 294 with House Amendment One. House Amendment One was added on April the 21st. It um and it identifies that if the state has a leased property that the Division of Facilities Management will work with the leased property owner to secure handicap parking spaces for pregnant persons. House Bill 295 had House amendment one introduced also on April 21st. Uh similar to 294, division of facilities to work with leased space. House Bill 3630 with House Amendment One. House amendment one was introduced on 422 and it gives a um opt out being required to notify if there is a um identification on the website that's using the chatbot that you are using a chatbot and not talking to a human being. House Bill 363, reducing speed limits in residential areas from 25 to 20 miles per hour, was introduced on April the 15th, and that's in the House Public Safety and Homeland Security. House Bill 339 dealing with virtual meeting anchor. It allows a staff person to uh be at the anchor location that was introduced on April the 9th into the administration committee in the House. Senate Bill 23, housing supply and housing affordability. We are in opposition to

that bill that was introduced on April the 21st and in the housing and land use committee in the Senate. Senate bill 247 dealing with depositive funds allowing the use of credit unions. We were in support of this bill. It did pass the um house on um April the 23rd. It is currently awaiting signature by the governor. and Senate Bill 249, substance use, substance use harm reduction, was voted out of committee health and social services in the Senate on April 22nd. And then one thing we've added to our watch list is potential revisions to FOYA. That's all I have, sir. Thank you, Jean. Any questions, comments, council?

One thing with the the the legislation, we got to keep our eye on the housing one. We better keep our eye on the homeless homelessness because uh if they pass uh there's going to be a lot of towns in serious trouble. So, we've got to keep our eye on on them and uh we just can't rely on our two people at Legal. We've got to reach out to other legislators that we know. If we don't, they got the majority. So, I don't mind working with them to try to come up with an even keel thing, but I just don't want it throw in their face and that's what the housing is going to do and I don't like it at all. So, just keep an eye on them things and bring it to people's attention. So, moving forward, the public works superintendent Eric Rust.

Good evening, everyone.

I'm going start off with the uh public works department. Uh, the light fixture in town hall has been repaired. All light heads on East Market Street have been replaced and are all working now. They assisted the water department in postings, rereads, shut offs, and water leaks. The fountain was dewinterized and back up and running. Mulched the circle and other town properties around town. Installed new green emergency lights on four town owned vehicles. The salt barn was completed and is being put to good use. and we took delivery of the 2024 Time Co Sweeper and the 2025 Dodge truck with a uh snow pile on it. Go to the water department next. AC Schultzy and DBF has mapped out locations for test wells on South Road. Uh well 2 is out of commission. The uh pump broke off from the uppipe and fell down and damaged the casin. AC Schultz is waiting on parts to get the S2 back up and running. I had Rick Hudson reach out to Schultzy today. They have all the parts. They're just waiting on the uh casing itself and they're inspecting it by May 11th. So, they should schedule right after that. They repaired several fire hydrants that were damaged around town by automobile accidents, repaired four water leaks, East Market, Gordy Street, Andis Road, and North Befort extended. All flow meters have been calibrated for the year. And the POS pilot and instrumentation is up and running on South Railroad border plant. Going to the wastewater department. As of today, the lagoon depths, the large lagoon was 14 1/2 foot. The small lagoon was 6 1/2 ft. Influent flows January through the end of March were 79.05 million gallons. The effluent flows for January through March where it's 46.51 million gallons. It was a rough winter. We didn't with the hard freeze and all the snow, we didn't get a lot of spraying done. Uh, as Gan mentioned, the pump station rehab project reached some substantial

completion except for painting the door. Uh, worked with Denali and the town's finance department to reach an agreement for hauling sludge because the, uh, county terminated our contract for hauling sludge. Uh, we removed the suction pipe and hoses around the sludge pond in preparation for Denali. Denali started their mobilization and started setting up their equipment today, and they're expected to start hauling sludge by the middle of the week. We received the generator to replace the one that was stolen from Gordy Street, but the new one wasn't configured correct. So, we've had to send it back and we're waiting on getting the correct one back. And then we took delivery of the new 2025 Chevy Silverado. That's all I have.

Thank you, Eric. Council, any questions, comments? No, just want to thank you for great job and anytime the fire department, the little league had their opening day Saturday and we needed some barrels to uh keep down the tent, Ricky went up there and got four barrels. So, thank you. Appreciate it. The guys are always willing to help. They do a great job. Thank you, Eric. Tell the boys good job. I will. Thank you.

Thank you. Moving uh forward to uh public uh comment. Now is the time to hear from our public. We welcome your comments which are very important to us. Note that all comments are limited to three minutes. As a reminder, please go to the podium to comment. Please give us your name, address, and address your remarks to the chair. Note that we will not be entering into dialogue at this time. The purpose of this agenda item is for you, the public, to inform us, the council, about your views. Mic is open at this time. Good evening.

Good evening.

My name is John Peterson. I live at 304 North Bedford Street. Beginning in the 1830s, white minstrel performers darkened their faces with burnt cork and grease paint to create stock caricatures whose purpose was the public humiliation and degradation of black Americans. The displayed image is the Jim Crow caricature, the stage figure that shaped the public identity later invoked to resist black civil rights. White minstal performers in blackface portrayed an exaggerated black posture and gate, contorted the face and lips, and adopted a mocked, fabricated dialect to depict black people as inept, foolish, and inferior. From those techniques emerged recurring caricatures such as Zip Jim Dandy, and Jim Crow. In the jump Jim Crow routine, the caricature lurched through an off-balance dance sequence designed to portray what the entertainment industry calls a comic imbecile. Audiences were invited to imitate the buffoonish dense steps, turning mockery of black people into a participatory ritual. After reconstruction collapsed in 1877, the Jim Crow caricature became the name for a legal system that controlled where black Americans could live, work, walk, and sit. Governments enforced this regime and permitted racial violence without consequence. Within this regime, the Confederate flag functioned as symbolic governance, signaling resistance to civil rights enforcement. When the Georgetown Historical Society

displays the Confederate flag, it activates the public meaning of the Jim Crow regime. I respectfully ask the town to place on the public record an unequivocal statement that the town of Georgetown bears no institutional connection to, assumes no responsibility for, and does not endorse or adopt the Confederate flag displayed by the Georgetown Historical Society. and to affirm that the town's governing authority, mission, and civic identity do not extend to or encompass the Confederate flag in any respect. Thank you. Thank you, sir.

Anybody else? Say thank you.

Good job, guys. I'm going have to find something new to complain about. Um, we were just shown an image that I would like to bring a little more historical content to. Um, because I don't believe your story of where it came from. That looked to me like Zort Pete, known as Black Pete. Um, reading the Wikipedia here, I kind of sound like you right now, but it was introduced as a character in the mid-9th century, primarily popularized by an an Amsterdam school teacher, Jan Shankman, in his 1850 children's book, St. Nicholas and Zin Kek, St. Nicholas and his servant. Um, there's actually a celebration they do in Oh, God. I'm sorry with my uh European geographical knowledge. I think uh what's the Dutch country? I I believe it is Holland. Yes. Where they have a festival and it is common for people to dawn blackface. And I believe that's where your image came from. So um personally I have a a problem of modifying history to make it fall in line with what you want to revise. So I would uh entertain people to check out this tradition. It is not an American tradition and I think mis categorizing history to fall into your views is wrong. And when I see people say the wrong things, I'm going to get up and correct them. Thank you very much and thanks for fixing the light. My name is Linda Dennis. I live in the

village of Cinderbury. And uh I would like to just state that I would hope that this council would disregard the remarks made in response to you coming forward with the resolution. I too think that this is prompted more by ignorance than anything else. Yes, the flag has meaning and it has different meanings to different people. And there's a number of issues that are related to the museum. It is a museum. Let's not disregard that fact. the fact that the flag was raised by an independent organization that tries to honor those Delawarians who died for the Confederacy. At the same time that monument was constructed, the uh Confederate or veterans approached the Union organization to construct the same to honor their fallen uh heroes because as you all know, anybody who's a history buff knows that Delaware was divided during the Civil War and they wanted to construct the same type of monument. However, they could not raise the money to do so. They come out along with the Confederate veterans uh on reenactment days. The Union uh organization is there as well and they honor the fallen Union soldiers that fought for the state of Delaware during the Civil War. So, I think that it would be a miscarriage of history to continue this ridiculous request that has gone on now for three times. So, I'm requesting that you ignore it and proceed to come out to the museum and learn more about what's out

there and why it's there. And that's open to anybody who has any doubt about what that monument stands for. Thank you. Thank you, Linda. Anybody else? Going once. Going twice. I make a motion to close. So motion to adjurnn. Eric second. Second. Second. Thank you. Panel. All in favor. Second by saying I. I. Oppose. So car. Have a good evening, ladies and gentlemen. You don't have to wait for me to start my engines. Can you get a what? catch. Why you want that? I charge people.

FBI might Yeah.