Rehoboth seeks county help on Rabbit Town Center; public commenter urges follow-up on Cottonwood investment

The commission heard a presentation from Rehoboth Mayor Trotter seeking county assistance with site grading and preparation for the Rabbit Town Center, a public–private retail and commercial hub the mayor said would include roads, green space and a pond that the town would maintain.

Mayor Trotter said prior county investments of ARPA funds had expanded sewer capacity and enabled retail and commercial development; she asked the commission to place a request for grading assistance on the Monday agenda. "It's a public private partnership... Once it's completely built out, this property will belong to the town of Rehoboth," she said, describing plans for municipal green space and future municipal relocation.

In public comment, Gary Knight commended the commission for opening an inquiry into possible misspending connected with a Cottonwood investment and urged the commission to ensure the matter is pursued by auditors and, if appropriate, referred for prosecution. "It should not be a catch and release. It should be followed up on," Knight said, asking why the public had not been told whether the matter was referred to the district attorney or attorney general.

Response and next steps: the commission agreed to place the Rehoboth grading request on the Monday agenda with no objection. In response to Knight, the chair said he had spoken to the attorney general but had "been told nothing" and had no further update to provide.

Provenance: topicintro SEG 480; topfinish SEG 688

Speakers quoted or referenced: Mayor Trotter (mayor, Rehoboth), Gary Knight (public commenter), Unidentified Speaker (S2).