This bill makes the following amendments to the Charter of the Town of Milton: 1) Removal of an outdated metes and bounds description, in recognition of the current Town Map and recordation of any changes to the Town boundaries; 2) Use of a Special Review Committee for annexation petitions, with that committee having a member of the Planning & Zoning Commission and two Councilmembers, rather than three Councilmembers; 3) Uniformity in use of the term “Mayor and Town Council”; 4) Uniformity in reflecting administrative authority resting with the Town Manager or designee, and thus removal of vestiges from when the Town Clerk was the highest administrator; 5) Change of newspaper notice provisions from three newspapers to one newspaper plus publication on the Town website; 6) An update of the Town’s election procedures to reflect the State Constitution and the Delaware Code, including the Election Officers’ duties and a reduction of the residency requirement from 60 days to 30 days before the election; 7) Inclusion of a procedure to update the Town’s voter rolls; 8) Revision to the terms used for multiple Council meetings to avoid confusion with FOIA; 9) An adjustment to the Mayor’s and Councilmembers’ compensation per meeting; 10) Inclusion of authority for the Town to solicit letter quotations from at least three qualified responsible providers for materials or services between $5,000 and $20,000, when full competitive bidding is not often cost-effective; 11) Express adoption of the Code of Conduct in the Delaware Code; 12) Express adoption of FIOA’s definition for “public records” for inspection; 13) Removal of the alternative title of “Town Administrator” for the Town Manager; 14) Discretion in whether the Mayor and Council hire a Town Clerk, as opposed to the requirement of hiring a Town Manager; 15) Revisions to the management of the Police Department, including expressly providing that: a) the Mayor and Council establish the Department’s duties, which the Police Chief then directs; b) that direction to members of the Department be given through the Police Chief; c) that the Chief reports to the Town Manager for financial duties; d) that the Department shall preserve peace and order in Town limits and within one mile thereof; and e) that the Department need not take a person arrested to SCI, since other facilities, such as the Stevenson House for juveniles, may be the proper facilities; 16) Removal of the requirement that a costly full Town assessment be performed every ten years, and instead, that the Mayor and Council review the Town Assessor’s report each year; 17) Removal of the authority to tax vacant commercial structures in the Town Center District; 18) Reduction of the interest on delinquent property taxes from 2% per month to the legal rate in 6 Del. C. Section 2301; 19) Removal of the Town Manager’s liability on his or her bond for failure to account for uncollected taxes unless there is a showing of pursuing all remedies unsuccessfully; 20) Reduction of the redemption period following a tax sale from one year to 90 days, which is more comparable to the counties’ 60-day period; 21) Adjustment in the authority to establish fines, increasing the maximum to $2,500, except that fines for violations relating to historic preservation may exceed that amount; 22) Reduction of the maximum indebtedness of the Town for bonds and securities from 25% to 5% of the total assessments in Town; and 23) Expansion of the eligibility to vote in a special referendum regarding bond issuance to include resident non-property owners.
Sponsored bills
This Act establishes the ability to grant a waiver for participation in interscholastic sports when a child exercises the right for choice from one school to another school of choice provided the standards for the waiver are met. In addition, this Act takes into consideration a new charter school or newly added grades to a charter school.
This act enhances the penalty for Theft when the victim is a veteran of the United States Armed Forces.
This Act provides judicial economy in the disposition of Driving Under the Influence (“DUI”) offenses by providing a trial for misdemeanor DUI offenses only in the Court of Common Pleas. This Act permits the Justice of the Peace Court to accept guilty pleas and first offender elections. This Act also requires that any offense properly joined with a DUI offense remains so joined for the purpose of trial. Under current Delaware law, all cases are initiated in the Justice of the Peace Court for the purposes of setting bail. On June 30, 2017, the State’s ability to transfer these cases, provided by House Bill 277 of the 147th General Assembly, sunsets. Thereafter, in matters over which the Justice of the Peace and the Court of Common Pleas have concurrent jurisdiction, only the defendant has a statutory right and mechanism (11 Del. C. § 5303) to transfer to the Court of Common Pleas. A single track for the disposition of DUI offenses also provides a mechanism for all DUI offenders to be considered for the specialized, treatment-focused post-adjudication “DUI Court” in the Court of Common Pleas.
This Act authorizes a court to impose as a condition of bail that a person charged with misdemeanor Driving Under the Influence not be permitted to drive a vehicle. This Act also allows the Justice of the Peace Court to retain jurisdiction to impose, modify and enforce bail conditions for misdemeanor Driving Under the Influence offenders even after the case is transferred to the Court of Common Pleas for trial. This Act further authorizes the Justice of the Peace Court to impose bail conditions including abstinence from alcohol or drugs and monitoring necessary to ensure compliance with such condition.
This act allows Sussex County government to create Enterprise Zones within the unincorporated areas of Sussex County. The act also allows any municipality, a portion of which is located in Sussex County, to create Enterprise Zones..
This Act removes the prohibition against receipt of Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (“TANF” also referred to by the name Aid for Families with Dependent Children or “AFDC”) funds by persons convicted of a drug felony, so long as that person is otherwise eligible or TANF assistance. Even though federal laws such as PRWORA passed during the War on Drugs frequently prohibited access to public assistance for persons with drug felonies, these laws also gave states flexibility in determining eligibility for food aid and cash assistance for families with children when applicants had a criminal conviction. The majority of states have limited the federal bans in whole or in part. In 2011, Delaware opted out of restrictions on food aid, but it has not opted out of or limited federal restrictions on TANF—the cash assistance program that is the principal form of assistance available to most families in poverty to pay for things like electricity bills or school supplies. Under existing law, individuals convicted of any state or federal drug felony, including possession of marijuana (which can be a felony under federal law), are ineligible for TANF for life. Although the children of a parent convicted of a drug crime can still receive assistance, the family’s overall award is significantly reduced, and in practice this affects the well-being of families and children.
This concurrent resolution designates the third week of September in 2017 as “Awareness Week for the Prevention, Recognition, and Treatment of Prenatal Substance Exposure in Infants and to Support Healthy Families in Delaware.
This Resolution recognizes June 27, 2017, as “Staff Appreciation Day” in the Delaware State Senate.
This resolution proclaims June 19, 2017, as Juneteenth Independence Day in Delaware and encourages the people of Delaware to reflect upon the significant roles and many contributions of African Americans and to celebrate this day with appropriate activities and events.