Resident calls county volunteer portal confusing; chair urges follow-up; councilman praises foreclosure-threshold change

During the public-comment portion of the New Castle County boards and commissions subcommittee meeting April 15, resident Tracy Slack said she had trouble getting a response after submitting an application to serve on the Open Space Advisory Board and requested help navigating the county's volunteer application process.

"Late January, I went on to your website and applied for the Open Space Advisory Board... I never heard anything back from my application submission besides the automatic reply saying it's been received," Slack said. She told the subcommittee she later contacted staff members who said they would look into it but had not followed up. Slack described her background in land-use volunteering and professional experience and said she wanted to be considered for a vacant seat.

The chair responded that the county is transitioning to a new county executive and his team, which has slowed some administrative processes, and said the Open Space Advisory Board is not dormant. "I know that the Open Space Advisory Board... I think they are scheduling a meeting sometime soon," the chair said, and suggested Slack contact the chair's office or her council member to follow up on vacancies and seat qualifications.

Separately during public comment, Councilman Jay Street praised a change announced that morning by the county executive to lower the threshold for foreclosing and moving a property to tax sale. Street described the executive's action as "a major step in the right direction" and said his own view on property enforcement has evolved after working with neighborhoods.

No formal actions were taken during public comment; the chair offered to follow up with Slack to provide information about open seats and application requirements.