News Briefs 03/23/18

Spring home guide printing delayed
The Cape Gazette 2018 Spring Home and Garden Special Section release will be delayed due to a mechanical breakdown during the printing process. The section will be delivered to subscribers Tuesday, March 27, and the book will be available in newsstand copies Friday, March 30.

Dewey town council meeting March 26
Dewey Beach Town Council has scheduled a meeting for 3 p.m., Monday, March 26, in the Dewey Beach Life Saving Station, 1 Dagsworthy Ave.The meeting starts with an executive session, which is expected to end by 5 p.m. The agenda then calls for a vote to increase parking meter r ates for the upcoming summer by 25 cents per hour; a vote to approve the budget for Fiscal Year 2019, which begins April 1; a reveal of the town's procurement procedures report; and a possible vote to enter into a settlement agreement with former Commissioner Rich Hanewinckel. A complete copy of the agenda can be found at www.townofdeweybeach.com, on the life saving station's message board, and at town hall, 105 Rodney Ave.

Milton committee to meet March 27
The Milton Sustainability Committee monthly meeting will be held Tuesday, March 27, at 5:30 p.m., at Milton Public Library, 121 Union St.
Agenda topics include discussion of the Game of Floods public workshop scheduled for April 14 in Milton, and the development of orientation sessions for new committee members/volunteers. Contact M. Coffaro at asunta10@comcast.net. Public is welcome to attend.

Sussex County Council off next two weeks
Sussex County government offices will be closed Friday, March 30. Sussex County Council will not meet Tuesday, March 27, and Tuesday, April 3.The next regularly scheduled meeting is at 10 a.m., Tuesday, April 10, in the county administration building, 2 The Circle, Georgetown.

Shaffer named Sussex County chief constable
Lester Shaffer of Georgetown has been named Sussex County's chief constable. Shaffer has a 22-year background in law enforcement including full-time employment with Georgetown and Laurel police departments and part-time employment with Milford and Dewey Beach departments.

Lewes City Hall hours change April 2
Beginning Monday, April 2, Lewes City Hall will operate with new hours. Offices will be open from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. For more information, call city hall at 302-645-7777.

Rehoboth approves $21 million budget
The Rehoboth Beach commissioners unanimously approved the $21 million budget for the 2018-19 fiscal year. The budget will go into effect Sunday, April 1, and will feature increases in parking permit fees for all but seasonal transferable and nontransferable permits.

Weekly permits will increase from $60 to $80, three-day weekend permits will go from $35 to $45, weekend daily permits will go from $15 to $20, and weekday daily permits will rise from $10 to $15. Bus permits to park at City Hall - the city has two spaces available for buses to park - will go from $50 to $250. Deauville Beach seasonal permits will rise from $75 to $250, with daily permits increasing from $10 to $20.

The increase in permits is expected to raise an additional $272,000 in revenue, which city officials say will be used to fund capital improvement projects. In January, the city increased the residential rental tax from 3 percent to 6 percent, which is projected to bring an increase of $975,000 in revenue.

The budget includes $2.8 million for the police department, $3.2 million for the streets department and $1.1 million for the parking department.The city projects $1.3 million in parking meter revenue, $2 million in rental tax revenue, $1.3 million in property tax revenue and $1.4 million in transfer tax revenue.

Simpler files for re-election as treasurer
State Treasurer Ken Simpler filed for re-election March 14.In a prepared statement, Simpler, a Republican, said he has spent his first term improving the operations of the State Treasurer's Office and bringing sound fiscal stew ardship to the various financial boards on which he serves.He said he has restructured the state's $2 billion investment port folio and overhauled the state employees' $1 billion retirement savings plan.He said he has also focused on personnel development, reclassifyin g 75 percent of the positions in the office to increase productivity and better align organizational priorities with personal skills and goals.

Simpler said he will apply the same top-to-bottom review to the state's $10 billion banking architecture and $2 billion debt portfolio.
Prior to becoming state treasurer, Simpler served as the chief financial officer of Delaware-based Seaboard Hotels and held the position of managing director at Citadel LLC, a $25 billion global investment fund where he oversaw a billion-dollar portfolio, managed personnel across the world and served on the firm's worldwide investment committee.

Simpler has served on the board of directors of Draper Holdings, the parent company of WBOC and Fox 21, and the finance committee of Beebe Healthcare.As of deadline , Simpler is the only candidate who has filed for the seat.To learn more about Ken Simpler and his vision for a second term, go to www.kensimpler.com.