By N.C.Vasuki

Our local governments — City of Dover (City) and the Levy Court of Kent County (County) — have mailed out the annual property tax notices to all of us. It is time for us to think about what we get in return for the taxes paid.

The Residential and business property owners within the City pay property taxes for many services provided by the City staff. In FY 2008, the city collected $ 9.6 million in property taxes. The estimated population of the City is about 35,200. Therefore residents of the City paid about $273 as property tax per person per year.

The city spent about $15.1 million in FY 2008 for its public safety (Police, etc.) program and that is about $429 per person per year. Good police protection actually costs each of us only $1.18 per day — what a bargain! It also shows property taxes pay only 64% of the public safety costs. The city also spends about $1.2 million per year for very good Library services that cost less than a dime a day per City resident. Can you think of a better bargain? Even the cheapest candy bar costs at least 40 cents.

The services provided by the City include Police protection, Fire prevention and protection, Planning and Zoning, Dover Public Library, Parks and Recreation, storm water and drainage services. We also pay, through utility service fees, for electricity and water supply, Sewerage, Solid waste and Recyclable materials collection. The City easily provides our money’s worth in very good quality services and that makes the City a very desirable place to live.

The City and its Police force have negotiated an equitable contract through the mediation process. As a result, the City will need additional money in future years to pay for a very good police protection service.

The same Residential and Business property owners also pay a property tax imposed by the Kent County Levy Court. The recently sent County tax notice shows an increase from 25 cents to 31 cents per $100 of assessed value. Last year we contributed about $2.7 million to the County coffers! That worked out to about $75 per city resident per year. What do we get in return? Almost nothing.

This year it will increase substantially!

The County did not consider providing financial support for the new Dover library as worthwhile even though more than 51% of the Dover Library users live outside the City limits. The Mayor and City Council, exhibiting good leadership, are continuing their quest to substantially improve the Dover library service for Central Delaware. The State of Delaware is also actively supporting this essential service by providing almost $5 million through State Bond money. Even the Federal government will provide some limited financial assistance.

The County did not even consider looking at the feasibility of consolidating library services within the County even though it would save money. The savings would have been sufficient to pay the County’s fair share for the new Dover library without a tax increase. Commissioner Brad Eaby, who represents the City on the Levy Court, attempted valiantly to convince the other six commissioners to support the new Library. Commissioner Alan Angel, the other commissioner representing the City, refused to support Commissioner Eaby in this matter. It is indeed a loss for the City residents because Commissioner Angel did not look out for our real interests.

Consolidation of services for improving efficiency and saving tax money is an important issue. The private sector, quite often, effectively uses consolidation of services for reducing costs and improving efficiency.

In the early 1970s Kent County faced a very severe water pollution problem and consolidation of sewage treatment in a county-wide regional system was proposed. The City, under the able leadership of the late Crawford Carroll, Mayor, played the crucial role in helping the creation of the County sewerage system. While Smyrna, Dover, Milford, Camden and Wyoming all had their own sewage treatment plants, the consolidation into a county-wide system improved efficiency and reliability. The water quality of the various small rivers materially improved at an overall lower cost to users. The City, as the largest contributor of sewer service fees, is continuing to support the consolidated regional sewerage system. Yet, Levy Court refuses to even look at consolidation of Regional library services while increasing our property tax!

Given the Levy Court’s reluctance to look at the long range needs of Central Delaware and its inability to raise efficiency of its governance system, we, the property owners living in the City of Dover, should ask for relief from paying County-imposed property taxes. There is good precedent for such relief. Property owners in Newark and Wilmington are given "Local service function" relief from New Castle County government for services they do not receive. If such a system was effective in Kent County, we, the property owners within the city, would only have to pay about $700,000 to the county and the savings of about $2 million would help pay for supporting the City police, the new library and other essential services!

However, this requires legislative action by the Delaware General Assembly.

As property owners and County taxpayers, it is up to us, individually and collectively, to ask our elected City and State officials to support enactment of a law to reduce our County property tax burden. The City property owners have good and sufficient reasons to ask for tax relief for services not provided by the County. If that can be accomplished, it will help us support the City’s police, the Library and all other essential services.

If you are really concerned about the way your County property tax is being used and want to support tax relief for local service functions, please take time to contact Senator Brian Bushweller (17th District), Representative Darryl Scott (31st District) and Representative Brad Bennett (32nd District) and ask for their help.

By Bruce Pringle

Delaware State News

DOVER — Kent County Levy Court declined Tuesday to move forward on a proposal to join with the city of Dover in providing library services.

In an informal vote following a lengthy discussion with representatives of the city, only three of the seven Levy Court commissioners favored continuing discussion with Dover on starting a regional library system that would feature a state-of-the-art library next to City Hall.

The three included commissioners Eric L. Buckson, Bradley S. Eaby and Richard E. Ennis. They were outvoted by Commission President P. Brooks Banta and commissioners Allan F. Angel, Harold K. Brode and George "Jody" Sweeney.

"We don’t have the money at this time to give anybody," Commissioner Brode said, referring to $3.7 million the city hoped the county would contribute toward building a new library that would be run by a board representing both the county and the city.

Commissioner Ennis agreed the county’s financial situation is problematic, but said library service may suffer in the long run if the county does not participate in creating a new library. "I feel if we don’t go forward with it now, we’re going to miss a great opportunity," he said.

Tuesday’s decision could mean Dover will be on its own in building and operating a $23.5 million facility that will replace the existing Dover Public Library.

According to Dover officials, the city’s current library draws more than 1,000 visitors a day, about half of whom live outside the city.

A number of scenarios for county-city cooperation on library management were laid out in recent months by County Administrator Michael J. Petit de Mange and Dover City Manager Anthony J. DePrima. The most prominent called for closing the county library near Camden and forming an independent library commission that would run the new library.

Such a merger would result in annual savings for both the county and city, according to the two administrators’ calculations. The county could have used its savings to finance bonds to help pay for the new library’s construction.

But Commissioner Sweeney said library services in the county are "woefully inadequate" and this is no time to close the county library — despite the promise of more seating, more computers and many other advantages at the library Dover aims to build on city land on Loockerman Street between City Hall and the Dover post office.

Commissioner Brode said, "I get calls all the time: ‘Don’t close the library and don’t take the bookmobile away from us.’"

The fate of the county bookmobile under a regional operation is unknown.

Without county participation in the project, Dover could be forced to raise an additional $3.7 million, the amount it sought from the county for construction. The city also could find itself without county help in paying annual operating costs, estimated as $1.7 million — about $300,000 more than for Dover’s existing library.

Levy Court’s decision wasn’t entirely unexpected.

City Councilman Reuben Salters said during a meeting Monday that he had been in conversation with commissioners about the library. "They’re already reluctant. I can tell you that," he said.

Councilman Salters asked Mr. DePrima at the Monday meeting about the effect of Levy Court’s declining to participate. Mr. DePrima responded that a planned fund-raising drive would have to be "greater and longer, probably much longer."

Mr. DePrima said Tuesday that issuing bonds to finance construction also was a possibility.

The state has committed money to the project, and contributions from individuals, corporations and nonprofits also are to be sought. The city is to spend $3.7 million, as it hoped the county also would do.

Construction is to begin next year. The impact of the commissioner’s decision on the project schedule remains to be seen.

Besides voting against uniting with Dover in library services, the commissioners rejected two related proposals — to earmark $1 million for a new library and to work toward raising an additional $2.7 million for the project. Commissioners Eaby and Ennis were alone in voting for both those ideas; Commissioner Angel joined them in supporting the $1 million set-aside.

Commissioner Buckson, while favoring a regional concept, said he could not support the commitment of any money under current economic conditions.

None of Tuesday’s votes amounted to official decisions. The commissioners were not in a regular Levy Court meeting, but in a Community Services Committee session. The membership of Levy Court and the committee are identical.