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 and things like that, and other drugs in the sewer system where they do the samples." Carter described the item as a continuation of a multi-year program.

Carter also described an appropriation of $29,600 received from the Delaware Department of Transportation through the Community Transportation Fund as funding to support greenway planning and sidewalk work along Route 141, linking to the Markell Trail and other off-road trails.

On infrastructure, the committee approved an ordinance to allow installation of LED street lights in the Overlook at Bayberry subdivision in St. George's Hundred and to levy a light tax based on the cost of the street lights. Councilman Carter characterized that item as "straightforward" and related to a new development in southern New Castle County.

Two small-community grants were approved. Councilman Kaneko moved approval of a $2,500 grant to the Ancient Order of Hibernians, Bernard McLaren Division, which Kaneko said supports charitable work including programs for the Wilmington VA Medical Center. Councilwoman Durham moved a $2,000 grant to the Friends of the First State National Historical Park to support brochure production and tabling at public events; Durham said the funds were intended to support the group's fledgling outreach efforts in District 2.

The committee also approved a travel request for Councilman Carter to attend the Western Regional meeting associated with the National Association of Counties (NACo) and a NACo board meeting, which Carter said he hoped would help the county coordinate with neighboring counties and their congressional delegations.

The committee approved the minutes of the March 11, 2025 meeting and left ordinance 25-002 on the table. No members of the public spoke during the meeting; committee members recorded routine affirmative votes for the items on the published agenda.

Votes at a glance

- Ordinance 25-021: Amend grants budget; appropriate $100,000 from U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (SAMHSA) through the Delaware Department of Health and Social Services, Division of Substance Abuse and Mental Health, to wastewater grant DHSS 2025 for the Department of Public Works. Outcome: approved (committee recorded aye votes). Presented as a continuation of the county's wastewater drug-monitoring program. (Presented by Councilman Carter.)

- Ordinance 25-022: Amend FY2025 capital program and budget; appropriate $29,600 from the Delaware Department of Transportation Community Transportation Fund to Department of Public Works, Greenway Systems Capital Project. Outcome: approved. (Presented by Councilman Carter.)

- Ordinance 25-023: Authorize installation of LED street lights in the Overlook at Bayberry subdivision (St. George's Hundred) and adopt a light tax based on street light cost. Outcome: approved. (Presented by Councilman Carter.)

- Ordinance 25-002: Remained on the table (no action taken at this meeting).

- Grant: Ancient Order of Hibernians, Bernard McLaren Division — $2,500. Outcome: approved. (Moved by Councilman Kaneko.)

- Grant: Friends of the First State National Historical Park — $2,000. Outcome: approved. (Presented by Councilwoman Durham.)

- Travel request: Councilman Carter — attendance at Western Regional/NACo board meetings. Outcome: approved.

Meeting context and next steps

Committee members described the items as routine pass-through grants or small capital expenditures and voted without extended debate. No public comment was recorded. The Finance Committee noted that land use matters were scheduled for a later session at 4:30 p.m.

(Quotations and attributions are drawn from committee remarks recorded on the March 25, 2025 Finance Committee transcript.)