New Castle County finance committee approves wastewater monitoring, greenway planning, streetlights and small community grants

The New Castle County Council Finance Committee on March 25 approved a series of budget and grant items that the panel described as pass-through funding and small community awards.

The committee voted to appropriate federal funding to continue a wastewater drug monitoring program, accept state transportation funds for greenway planning, approve a streetlight installation in a new subdivision, award two small community grants and approve a travel request for a council member.

The measures are largely continuations or small capital and community-support items: committee members said the funding will extend ongoing monitoring of opioids and other substances in the county sewer system, support planning and sidewalk work that ties into existing trails, and finance streetlights for a new subdivision. The committee also approved two community grants and a travel request for a county council member to attend a regional meeting.

Councilman Carter said the $100,000 ordinance from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, through the Delaware Department of Health and Social Services Division of Substance Abuse and Mental Health, is "a pass through grant for us to continue the work that we do monitoring of opioids…