Committee approves multiple budget transfers and community grants, including $250,000 for Hope Center security

New Castle County’s Administrative Finance Committee on Sept. 9 approved a series of FY2026 budget transfers and community grants. Actions taken by voice vote or motion included transfers for rodent control, emergency telecommunicator training, ceremonial-uniform funding, appropriations for an Absalom Jones Senior Center grant, a $250,000 Housing Trust Fund allocation for security at the Hope Center, a state workforce summer- and year-round youth employment grant, and several small community grants through the county’s grants matrix.

Key approvals and motions recorded in the committee transcript:

- Ordinance 25-103: Transfer funding from the county council grants and fixed charges line to the Department of Land Use, Division of Customer Relations and Enforcement, to provide rodent-control funding countywide. Sponsor: Councilman Smiley. Motion recorded and approved by voice vote.

- Ordinance 25-104: Transfer funding from the county council grants and fixed charges line to the Department of Public Safety, Division of Emergency Communications, to support an emergency telecommunicator trainer course (9-1-1 call center training). Sponsor: Councilman Smiley. Motion recorded and approved by voice vote. Councilmen Toole and Hollins asked to be added as co-sponsors.

- Ordinance 25-105: Transfer funding from council grants to Department of Public Safety materials and supplies for uniforms for the pipes and drums band. Sponsor: Councilman Smiley. Motion recorded and approved by voice vote.

- Ordinance 25-106: Amend grants budget to appropriate an additional $8,917 in State of Delaware grant-aid funds to the Absalom Jones Senior Center for FY2026; sponsor floor-managed by Councilman Street (cosponsorship noted with Councilman Toole and Council President Monique Williams Johns). Motion recorded and approved by voice vote.

- Ordinance 25-110: Appropriate $250,000 from the New Castle County Housing Trust Fund for security at the Hope Center, to be administered by the Department of Community Services. Sponsor: Councilman Street. The sponsor corrected an earlier announcment that mis-stated the amount as $25,000; transcript reflects $250,000 and the motion was approved by the committee.

- Ordinance 25-111: Amend grants budget to accept state funds from the Delaware Department of Labor (via Delaware Workforce Investment Board) for the 2025–26 state summer youth employment and year-round youth employment program, to be administered by the Department of Community Services. Sponsor: Councilman Street. Motion recorded and approved by voice vote.

Grants matrix approvals (motions and voice votes):

- Town of Odessa — $22,795 for playgrounds at Memorial Park. Mover: Councilman Koneko. Approved.

- Arundel Civic Association — $2,500. Mover: Councilman Shelton. Approved.

- Brookside Community, Inc. — $5,000. Mover: Councilman Sheldon. Approved.

- Roseville Park Civic Association — $2,775. Mover: Councilman Sheldon. Approved.

- Claymont Lions Club — $2,000 for the annual Claymont Christmas Parade. Sponsor noted in transcript; motion made and approved by voice vote.

Most motions were adopted by unrecorded voice votes ("aye") in committee; the transcript records approvals and multiple instances of "not voting" but does not provide individual roll-call tallies. Public comment on these items was not recorded in the committee proceeding.

The committee also considered a number of district-sponsored transfers financed from individual council discretionary grant accounts; members noted the routine nature of those transfers and thanked sponsors for funding community services and public-safety training.

No other formal votes or recorded dissent altering the outcomes listed above were captured in the committee transcript.