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Land Use seeks one more code officer, highlights ADUs, redevelopment and tech upgrades in FY26 budget
Summary
At a May 8 New Castle County council budget hearing, the Department of Land Use presented its FY26 requests and priorities, including one additional code enforcement officer, upgrades to permitting/GIS systems and continued emphasis on affordable housing and redevelopment.
Dave Culver, general manager of New Castle County’s Department of Land Use, told County Council on May 8 that the department’s FY26 budget requests add one code enforcement officer and fund merit and benefit increases tied to negotiated wages.
The request accompanies a presentation of the department’s priorities for the coming year: upgrading permitting and GIS systems (including a planned Hansen upgrade and an AI-assisted permitting workflow), implementing the 2050 comprehensive plan and continued zoning and code updates to promote affordable housing and consolidated enforcement. Culver said the department will also pursue a vacant-property registration program that would raise licensing fee revenue.
Why it matters: Land use, permitting and code enforcement shape how and where housing and commercial projects proceed. Culver said improving permit processing and enforcement aims to reduce inspection backlogs and support redevelopment and affordable-housing goals countywide.
Culver described technical and regulatory work across divisions. He reported renewal of DNREC sediment and stormwater program certification and work with emergency management to maintain a FEMA resilience score that helps reduce flood insurance costs. He said the department plans to upgrade its Hansen permitting system and explore AI tools to speed permit processing. On enforcement, Culver noted a jump in “rule to show cause” hearings, with about 1,441 scheduled this year, and said the budget includes funding for one additional code officer to reduce per-inspector inspection loads toward the national norm.
Culver gave several performance and fiscal figures: roughly 5,000 inspections estimated this year, about 39,500 rental units countywide, and a department budget increase of roughly 7.7 percent driven mainly by salary and benefit costs. He said credit-card processing fees have grown — FY24 fees were $301,000, the department estimates $400,000 this fiscal year and has budgeted about $327,000 for FY26 — and said staff are working with finance and IT to identify ways to offset those costs.
Council members pressed for clarifications. Councilman Smiley proposed assessing a partial fee when property owners fail to appear for “rule to show cause” hearings, suggesting a 50 percent charge of the $300 hearing fee for no‑shows; Culver said staff will “certainly address that issue.” Councilman Carter asked staff to verify how “pipeline” residential lots are defined and whether recorded lots are excluded; Culver agreed to recheck the numbers and follow up with the council.
Culver cited the JobsNow program and Chestnut Run Plaza redevelopment — which he said includes commitments from larger employers, including Merck — as examples of efforts to attract jobs and redevelopment. He also said staff will continue outreach to Delaware Tech, Hodgson VoTech and local high schools to recruit trades and inspection staff.
The department’s presentation closed with an invitation to council to submit questions and a pledge to return follow-up data on pipeline lots and the Hansen upgrade timeline.
