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Land Use chief says department trimmed staff but plans technology and SPUR changes to handle $42M shortfall
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Summary
Land Use General Manager Dave Culver told New Castle County Council that the department is operating under a $42 million structural deficit, has deferred several positions and will use technology and the county’s SPUR planning initiative to keep permitting and redevelopment moving while protecting core services.
Dave Culver, general manager of New Castle County’s Department of Land Use, told county council members at an FY27 budget hearing that the department is working under a countywide $42,000,000 structural deficit that forced “difficult decisions across every department.” Culver said Land Use deferred funding for several positions and is relying on efficiencies and new tools to maintain service levels.
“Every GM made the tough choices about what to protect and what to defer,” Culver said, adding the department is “stretching our staff further and asking them to find efficiencies” while moving ahead with initiatives to support housing and economic development.
Culver described the county executive’s SPUR initiative — a package the county intends to use to streamline planning and speed reviews for projects that grow the economy and expand affordable housing. “SPUR will prioritize redevelopment and investment in commercial corridors, helping us grow smarter by building within structure already exists,” he said, and added the department plans to implement electronic plan review and concurrent reviews with state agencies to reduce bottlenecks.
Council members pressed Culver on several details. Councilman Koneko highlighted changes in contractual and operating transfer fees and asked whether a headcount of 113 staff is sufficient; Culver said four positions were defunded in FY27 but the department expects online permitting and process improvements to help reallocate staff. On the development pipeline, Culver said a handful of plans account for most nonresidential gross floor area; he identified about 6,000,000 sq ft tied to a large entry referenced as Project Washington and said several proposed data-center and warehouse plans make up significant square footage.
Councilwoman George asked how the county’s rental-registration program compares with neighboring jurisdictions. Culver said New Castle County currently does not charge a registration fee and that the registration is designed primarily to collect contact information for emergency purposes, making direct comparisons with other counties difficult.
Several council members raised concerns about unfunded state mandates. Councilman Carter highlighted the growing burden of state legislation (he named “Senate Bill 23”) and asked whether state sponsors had coordinated with local officials; Culver said the county executive’s staff and others do try to provide feedback to Dover and that the department monitors legislation and responds when asked.
Culver emphasized the department’s revenue posture: the planning and building divisions are largely fee-supported, and he said Land Use aims to keep direct process revenue close to expense so development users cover their share of costs. He noted that the department processes roughly 240,000 citizen interactions per year and that keeping turnaround times reasonable is central to retaining investment.
The Land Use presentation ended with council members commending the department’s diversity reporting, and Culver offered to provide additional detail about specific pipeline entries and revenue comparisons. The hearing then moved on to the Public Safety portion of the FY27 presentations.
