Budget & Taxes

This Act amends the Newark Charter by authorizing the City of Newark to levy and collect a per student, per semester tax on Colleges and Universities that host in person classes which are located within the boundaries of the City of Newark. This tax applies to all colleges and universities including any organizations that are considered subdivisions or agencies of the State of Delaware or are otherwise tax exempt, including but not limited to the University of Delaware. The amount of the tax will be adjusted annually in an amount not to exceed the change in the Consumer Price Index for all Urban Consumers (Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, not seasonally adjusted). It also limits the available payment methods to restrict the use of credit cards for the payment of the aforementioned tax. This Act requires a greater than majority vote for passage because § 1 of Article IX of the Delaware Constitution requires the affirmative vote of two-thirds of the members elected to each house of the General Assembly to amend a municipal charter.

This Act gives a county, upon a county-wide reassessment of real property under § 8306(b) of Title 9, the authority to adopt an ordinance modifying the school property tax exemption amounts that were put in place on or before January 1, 1998. In doing so, this Act protects seniors and individuals with disabilities from significant school tax increases related to county-wide reassessments of property values.