Residents urge school‑district accountability, report contractor flooding and ask for school‑tax relief in public comment

During the public‑comment period at the Sept. 9 New Castle County Council meeting, speakers raised three separate community concerns: alleged failures flagged in an Appoquinimink School District audit, a neighborhood flooding incident tied to a county subcontractor, and a request for senior property‑tax relief.

A caller identified in the record as a resident said an auditor’s report found “Dr. Burrows and Mr. Forrester had failed for years” in their duties at the Appoquinimink School District and demanded their resignations: “You have failed at your jobs. Resign,” the resident said. The remarks asserted mismanagement; the speaker did not identify evidence beyond the auditor’s report referenced verbally.

Rob Bullock, president of the Route 9/13 Community Alliance Coalition, told council members a Public Works subcontractor hired for work in his neighborhood performed poorly when ‘‘blowing out gray water,’’ and that the contractor’s action backed up and flooded a neighbor’s first floor. Bullock named the contractor subcontractor as Ray Ball and described the event as a blemish on the contractor’s reputation. He urged care in selecting subcontractors to avoid similar impacts on residents.

Bullock also raised an unrelated concern about school taxes and seniors, asking why seniors must pay “80%” of school taxes and recommending a cap to relieve the burden for the next tax levy. A council member clarified for the record that New Castle County does not set school taxes and that school‑tax policy is controlled by state law and state legislators.

Ending: Comments were recorded for the public record and council members offered clarifying remarks (including a reminder that school‑tax rates are governed by state law). No formal county action on the matters was taken during the meeting.