Legislators hold roundtable before returning to Dover

Local legislators teamed up March 9 for a constituent roundtable to get an idea of the local issues of the day.

“As we go back, it’s important to hear from you all,” said Sen. Russ Huxtable, D-Lewes, to about a dozen residents and local officials attending the event at the Rehoboth Beach Museum. “Rep. [Claire] Snyder-Hall and myself will not know all the answers, so this is why it’s important to engage the community to hear concerns as we prepare to go back to Dover this week.”

Snyder-Hall, D-Rehoboth Beach, said a ton of bills were pre-filed, awaiting the legislators upon their return, and she expects it will be a busy session.

Now in her second year as an elected representative, she described her time in Dover as a series of crises.

“We had the corporate franchise crisis, the electricity bills, we had the reassessment, which we’re still working on,” she said. “I’m happy that Sussex County did a great job overall on reassessment.”

Snyder-Hall said she looks forward to supporting campaign reform bills, including one that would require quarterly reporting.

“So we can have a better sense of who’s funding different candidates, which is helpful,” she said.

Accessory dwelling units and affordable housing were among the topics raised by attendees.

While ADUs are one way of providing housing in a tight rental market, Huxtable said he would like to see changes in zoning codes to provide more affordable housing.

“That is a bigger win,” he said.