New Castle County executive proposes 17.2% property tax increase in FY27 budget to close roughly $42 million shortfall

County Executive Marcus Henry presented his FY27 budget proposal to the New Castle County Council on March 24, saying the plan would protect core services while closing a multi‑million dollar gap.

“Tonight, I am presenting the FY 27 proposal to council, an operating budget of $387,600,000 and a capital budget of $75,700,000,” Henry said. “To responsibly balance this budget, I am proposing a property tax increase for FY '27 of 17.2%.”

Why it matters: Henry said internal savings and cuts totaling about $18,500,000 were not enough to close what he described as the county’s budget shortfall — he reported that an initial review found the current‑year deficit exceeded $36,000,000 and later referred to a $42,000,000 shortfall. To avoid deeper cuts to public safety and basic services, he urged the council to consider a “managed” tax increase as part of the FY27 package.

Key elements of the proposal: the operating budget is $387.6 million and the capital budget $75.7 million; the executive proposed a 17.2% increase in the county…