By Brian Gilliland

LEWES — Voters in the Cape Henlopen School District on Tuesday face a single up or down vote on a proposed tax increase of $0.549 per $100 of assessed property value to pay for operational and capital expenses.

The vote will end a monthlong push by the district and marks the first increase sought in six years.

Superintendent Mr. Bob Fulton held three public meetings in March, making his case for the proposed projects, plus discussions with realty agents, parent-teacher organizations and students of voting age.

Asked during an early session what would happen if the referendum fails, Mr. Fulton said, “We are going to come back next year, and we are going to ask for more money. I’m not going to threaten (ending) programs” because the schools aren’t in that situation.

He added that the tax hike is necessary for several reasons, including the exhaustion of federal pandemic funds, as well as operational and capital needs. However, the district is lucky, he noted, as increased growth has offset expenses somewhat in the six years since the last referendum, and the larger tax base makes for smaller overall increases.

While not under the district’s direct control, issues like congested roads, tax reassessment and the cost of property in Sussex County have surfaced several times during each meeting.

“In regard to identifying how individuals’ taxes may be impacted, we encourage homeowners to use the tax calculator on our referendum website,” Mr. Fulton said. “They should visit the Sussex County tax assistance programs website that provides all the qualifying information for tax relief.”

Those details can also be assessed by calling 302-855-7871, he said.

Regarding reassessments, since the state has been using the same property tax numbers since the 1970s, it was ordered to reassess all parcels. This process is ongoing, expected to be complete by the end of next year.

“It’s a pretty safe bet all the values will go up, but that doesn’t mean your taxes will go up,” said Mary Noldy, appraiser associate project supervisor for Tyler Technologies, the firm conducting the reassessment.

She added that law prevents counties from increasing revenue during a reassessment year, so huge windfalls of tax revenue are not expected. Tyler provides updates to the Sussex portion of its project at empower.tylertech.com/sussex-county-delaware.html.

Further, traffic concerns, especially along U.S. 9 and Del. 24, have been a common concern for district residents, especially because the plot of land Cape intends to purchase should the referendum pass is in this area.

The parcel is off Del. 1D and Del. 24, bordered by Mulberry Knoll and Cedar Grove roads, in Rehoboth Beach. For one, critics argue, it’s too close to Love Creek Elementary and Beacon Middle schools, and the resulting traffic will overburden the already congested streets.

In response, Mr. Fulton said the property was the one the district could afford during the time it was developing the bid, echoing a sentiment stated earlier this month by County Council Vice President John Rieley.

“Sometimes, I get the feeling people believe that it’s council that selects the land and determines where a property is going to be placed,” said Councilman Rieley, in reference to Chapel Branch apartments, near Angola. “And we can only respond to the applications that are brought to us.”

Similarly, traffic is examined as part of the process for the county and the schools but by the Department of Transportation.

“They’re the experts. We’re not. That’s how it’s set up in the state of Delaware,” said assistant county attorney Vince Robertson, explaining the congestion difficulties near Chapel Branch earlier this month. “We rely on DelDOT’s determination, their expert opinions, their engineering, their consultants’ engineering as part of our process.”

Mr. Fulton said the state, the county and the Transportation Department have been involved in the land purchase proposal.

But that’s only one of the capital projects planned. The superintendent said Cape Henlopen intends to build an administration building, a vehicle maintenance facility and a swimming complex there, and the parcel could eventually become the site of an elementary or middle school.

Mr. Fulton said the pool would be used to teach each of the more than 6,000 district students to swim, allow for lifeguard or scuba training and host any number of swim teams that don’t have access to a similar facility within 100 miles.

For the bus maintenance facility — where a fleet of about 50 buses could have regular work performed rather than being sent to multiple vendors, as is done now — and the planned district office, meeting attendees were concerned mainly about location and need.

Mr. Fulton responded that the administration building needs to be moved before any discussion about expanding the high school is entertained by the state. As growing Cape Henlopen High is the district’s top priority, the current office needs to be relocated to make way for parking and stormwater management for the school, he continued.

These expenses, coming from local taxpayers only, include $15 million for the 102-acre parcel of land, $21.5 million for the district office, $6 million for the transportation maintenance facility and about $36.1 million for the indoor swimming complex. This amounts to a property tax increase of $0.214 per $100 assessed for residents.

The remaining $0.335 per $100 assessed covers operational expenses, like salaries and maintenance — items that did not face much scrutiny from the public.

“I am here to offer you what I think is the best value for our students, families and community,” Mr. Fulton said. “If I didn’t think this were true, I wouldn’t offer it.”

Tuesday’s vote takes place between 7 a.m. and 8 p.m. Polling places are Cape Henlopen High, Mariner Middle and Rehoboth Elementary.