Bethany Beach council reviews FY2027 draft budget, parking permit changes and upcoming ramp and plaza repairs

Councilmembers reviewed financial results and a first draft of the FY2027 budget, discussed changes to resident parking permits and heard town manager updates on multiple infrastructure projects and grant opportunities.

At the Jan. 20 meeting, Budget and Finance Committee representative Mrs. Gale said townwide revenues for the draft FY2027 budget are currently budgeted at $15,000,000, operating costs at $13,700,000 and capital and debt at $1,200,000. She told the council the revenue budget is about $190,000 lower than the prior year after a decline in visitors; operating costs are about 4% higher than the prior year mainly to keep the police department and beach patrol fully staffed. The committee discussed recommending a small increase in property taxes and will review a second draft on Feb. 19.

Mrs. Gale also outlined a proposed change to resident parking permits: the town would mail one free side‑street permit to all residents, with the option to purchase additional side‑street permits or paid beach‑lot permits (the town indicated the era of unrestricted free beach‑lot parking for residents may be ending). "We were unequivocal when we did that in saying that it was an experiment," Town Manager Cliff Gravier said, describing the original policy and saying the town will consider fee changes so summer revenues continue to offset seasonal costs.

On capital projects, Gravier said the boardwalk ramps' substructure has deteriorated and the town plans to advertise bids and award contracts in late February; the initial estimate to reconstruct two ramps (First and Second Street) is $170,000. He said the town has allocated $600,000 that can be used for ramp repair and plaza repair; an earlier proposal to replace all pavers in the plaza would have added more than $300,000, but a targeted repair approach reduces the projected plaza cost closer to the low‑hundreds of thousands.

Gravier updated the council on the Route 1/26 intersection enhancement project: engineers estimate construction costs at about $191,000; the town has already invested $41,000 in decorative lights and preliminary groundwork and is working with DelDOT on permitting and contractor selection.

Staff also reported eligible grant opportunities. Assistant Town Manager Terry Teeman said a park equipment grant application to DNREC carried a maximum award amount of $150,000 and allows multi‑year phasing, which the town can use to sequence construction and leverage additional grant rounds. The town announced audio/video upgrades to council room microphones and software to improve remote meeting capabilities, and noted placement of automated external defibrillators and recent CPR/AED training for staff. A new state water quality report showed lead and copper levels in town water as negligible.

Several councilmembers thanked staff for seasonal event work and public‑works efforts that supported holiday programming.