Finance Committee reviews draft tax-policy guidance; discusses MSP disclosures, fee schedule and reserve targets

The City of Delaware Finance Committee on July 8, 2025, reviewed the second half of a draft tax-policy document that lays out how the city should treat growth-related costs, fee-setting and review, and use of reserves.

The draft, presented by Corey, described the document as a concise, long‑lived statement of how the city should approach taxation and development-related charges. "What you have in front of you is the latest draft as of an hour ago," Corey told members as the meeting opened. The committee did not adopt the policy at the meeting; members discussed wording, practice and priorities and asked staff to redraft portions for a future meeting.

The discussion centered on several recurring topics. Committee members debated how to express the city’s objectives for new development and growth. Several members favored language saying that new development should "internalize the costs of infrastructure, services and facilities it requires," while others had recommended wording about developers paying their "fair share." The draft directs the city manager and council to seek, "whenever possible," to align impact fees, service charges and other development‑related revenues with the true cost of expansion.

Members also discussed minimum service payments (MSPs) and…