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Kent County opens public hearings on code home‑rule bills to shift enforcement and set commissioner pay schedule
Summary
The commissioners opened public hearings on two home‑rule code bills: one to adjust local authority for municipal ordinance civil citations and enforcement practices for landing permits, and a second to revise commissioners' compensation timing per the Compensation Review Commission; both hearings remain open for written comments through 03/27/2026.
Kent County commissioners opened public hearings on two proposed home‑rule code bills on March 24, placing both matters on the record for public comment through close of business on March 27.
County attorney Bob Mao read the notices and described Bill 1 as a revision to Chapter 68 (votes and voting) that would repeal and reenact sections dealing with enforcement, violations, remedies and appeals to designate which local authority issues municipal ordinance civil citations. The stated purpose, Mao said, is to allow certain county staff to enforce landing‑permit rules without requiring deputization by the sheriff.
Dan Mattson, the county public works director, testified in support of Bill 1. Mattson said the prior practice of deputizing a public‑works employee made sense when that staffer was a former deputy but that the staffing change and "current climate" make repeated reliance on sheriff deputies inefficient. He described current practice: public‑works staff patrol landings and issue warnings but must call the sheriff to have formal citations written after repeat warnings. "I don't personally believe that is the highest and best use of the sheriff's department's resources," Mattson said, adding the proposal intends to make enforcement "very similar in practice" to code enforcement in planning and zoning.
Bill 2, read by the county attorney, would amend Chapter 3 (administration of government) to implement a phased increase in commissioners' compensation recommended by the Compensation Review Commission and to set a commencement date for commissioner terms. The county attorney noted both bills were duly advertised in the Kent County News on March 12, 2026.
Bob Mao said written comments will be accepted by email at kentcounty@kentgov.org or by letter to the county commissioners through March 27. The board closed the in‑person portion of the hearing at the end of the session but explicitly left written comment open through the deadline. No final legislative votes were taken at the meeting; commissioners only opened the hearings and heard initial testimony and questions.
