Henlopen Acres approves $1.24 million budget
During a meeting June 14, Henlopen Acres commissioners approved an operating budget for the fiscal year beginning Monday, July 1, that has about $1.24 million in expenses compared to about $1.26 million in revenue.
“Overall, town finances are stable,” said Mayor Joni Reich in an email June 23. “While faced with significantly higher costs for employee-related items such as health insurance [which increased 27%], the commissioners have been able to construct a new budget with a relatively small increase in our property taxes and keep the rental tax rates, water rate and marina fees the same for residents.”
Property taxes were increased about 7.7%, from $3.25 to $3.50 per $100 of assessed value, said Reich. This will raise tax revenue by about $35,000 or $165 per property, she said.
There was an increase in kayak fees, Reich said. The yearly storage and access fee went from $125 to $150; the yearly access fee from $50 to $75; the weekly launch fee from $10 to $25; and the daily launch fee from $5 to $10.
Commissioners increased the zoning construction fee – the permit fee for work up to $50,000 in cost went from 2.25% to 2.5%; the permit fee for work of $50,000 or more went from 2.5% to 2.75%.
There are changes to the business license fee too. The license fee for a small business – under 10 employees – remains $50, but the fee for a business with more than 10 employees increased from $100 to $125, and the fee for businesses using trucks over 26,000 pounds went from $150 to $225.
Reich said the town budgeted $225,300 in the capital budget. Major projects include $50,000 toward marina dredging; $40,000 to begin a three-year project to replace the wooden boards on the marina dock; $50,000 for a new security vehicle and lawn mower; and $25,000 to replace the roof on the water plant. The town also received $125,000 in state grants for the water plant, she said.
As for the current budget, through May, construction fees are about $60,000 above the budgeted $135,000 and transfer taxes are double the $100,000 budgeted, said Reich. Sales prices have risen significantly in the last year, so the commissioners have set a transfer tax budget of $125,000 for next year.
Chris Flood has been working for the Cape Gazette since early 2014. He currently covers Rehoboth Beach and Henlopen Acres, but has also covered Dewey Beach and the state government. He covers environmental stories, business stories and random stories on subjects he finds interesting, and he also writes a column called Choppin’ Wood that runs every other week. Additionally, Flood moonlights as the company’s circulation manager, which primarily means fixing boxes that are jammed with coins during daylight hours, but sometimes means delivering papers in the middle of the night. He’s a graduate of the University of Maine and the Landing School of Boat Building & Design.
