Brian E. Lewis represents the 2nd District on Dover City Council.
I want to take a moment to explain to those I represent why I voted no to advance the city budget with the accompanying property tax and electric rate increase May 20 and again June 8. First, I want to commend city manager Sharon Duca and city finance director Patricia Marney. They worked hard to put the budget together and incorporated many of the revisions requested by myself and another council member (Roy Sudler Jr.). City administration followed the budget process outlined in the city’s charter, and with that said, I believe the charter itself is outdated and lacks the detail necessary for a modern, effective budgeting process. As it stands, City Council received the proposed preliminary fiscal 2027 budget in mid-April and was expected to approve or reject the final budget before the fiscal year begins July 1. In my opinion, we don’t give this process the time or scrutiny it deserves. We need more time. More details. More justification. More negotiation. And more creative thinking to generate new revenue sources, so the burden doesn’t always fall back on the taxpayers.
At a time when families and businesses are already facing rising costs, increasing property taxes and fees places additional burdens on those who can least afford it. Fiscal responsibility should begin with finding ways to make our city more efficient — not with asking taxpayers to dig deeper.
The fiscal ’27 proposed budget reported shortfalls, and some essential services are under the threat of being scaled back. City management, with council approval, can often spend less on nonessentials that can be postponed, reduced or eliminated without immediately affecting the city’s ability to provide the essential services our citizens need daily. When I reviewed the budget, I evaluated line items through the lens of what adds real value to our residents’ lives and what is necessary versus what feels more like a luxury. Several items stood out to me, such as overtime, new positions, dues/subscriptions/memberships, out-of-state conferences and training, mayor/council expenses, police academy costs and $150,000 being donated annually to the Downtown Dover Partnership, which received a $25 million boost by the state in 2024.
What concerns me about this budget, even after some revisions, is the fact that there will still be an increase in taxes and fees. I understand that inflation has only worsened the city’s long-standing challenges, raising revenue for street maintenance, public safety, trash, wastewater management and utilities, just to name a few.
However, inflation has affected all of us, especially the middle class, older adults and the most vulnerable. The last thing we need now is yet another tax increase, no matter what the percentage.
I have been out talking to people, and many said they cannot afford to see their bills rise. To hit them with additional costs seems outrageous to me when there are ways to prevent an increase. I have many older individuals in my district who have told me that, with the increases, they will have to make not only hard decisions but some life-threatening ones, such as choosing to pay the increased tax and fees or buy necessary medication or food. Honestly, it’s disheartening to see the mayor and a majority of my colleagues on council favor the passing of this budget over the hardships of everyday people.
Back in January, I wrote an Opinion regarding the Economic Development Grant Funds, created Jan. 27, 2025, through Council Resolution No. 2024-15. These funds were established through the sale of city properties. As of Wednesday, June 10, there was $1.6 million in the fund. As I indicated back in January, “(r)edirecting funds from the sales of city properties into this Economic Development Grant Fund could limit our ability to address priorities if there is a shortfall in the city budget. Previously, the money from the sale of these city properties went into the general fund, where they could be used to subsidize a shortfall or deficit in the city budget and (possibly) prevent a property tax increase.” For the public record, I want my constituents to be aware that I made a motion to transfer the $1.6 million back into the general fund, which would have offset the current proposed tax increase, according to Sharon Duca, our city manager, but it was voted down by my colleagues, with most of council believing that the development fund is a key engine for drawing businesses to the city and, ultimately, expanding its tax base. But my response is that there are no guarantees, especially in our current state of affairs within the city. Additionally, the fund only applies to the downtown area and not the rest of Dover.
A core part of City Council’s job is to hold city management accountable, and the most important element of that is oversight of the budget. The people deserve a clear, public accounting of what went wrong and why we initially had a shortfall/deficit. But they also deserve a plan to ensure that it does not happen again — something infinitely more valuable than finger-pointing or talking points divorced from reality.
Most importantly, we can’t continue to rely on working families’ tax dollars to shield City Hall’s mistakes. The people of Dover voted for affordability and fiscal responsibility. Dover residents deserve better; they deserve leaders who understand that government must live within its means, just like every family in our community is forced to do every day.
We must remember that this is a government of the people, by the people, for the people.
Reader reactions, pro or con, are welcomed at civiltalk@iniusa.org.
