Rehoboth set for Dec. 2 town hall

With a marathon, a craft show and a town hall meeting on the agenda, Saturday, Dec. 2 figures to be a busy day in downtown Rehoboth Beach.

The city commissioners will host a town hall from 2 to 5 p.m. at the Rehoboth fire hall on a proposed charter change that would allow certain people who own their property in limited liability companies to vote. In addition, the ordinance includes a 30-day residency requirement before voting and eliminates a law that voters who have not voted in two consecutive municipal elections are purged from the rolls.

Those who wish to speak or ask questions will have the floor for three minutes.

The proposed charter change has proven controversial, with attendees at commissioner meetings questioning the purpose and implications of the changes. Opponents of the proposed legislation had even more questions after Mayor Paul Kuhns sent out a letter on Nov. 15 - paid for by the city - regarding goings-on in the city that does not mention the Dec. 2 town hall. A letter to the commissioners from city resident Mable Granke questioned why the commissioners are changing the voting laws now and accused them of stacking the deck in favor of businesses. “Paul’s letter was not helpful because it did not mention the Dec. 2 meeting and its importance,” Granke wrote.

The town hall is part of what will be an action-packed day in Rehoboth. The Rehoboth Beach Marathon will be held beginning at 7 a.m. at the Bandstand. Columbia Avenue, from the traffic circle to Kent Street, and Fourth Street, from Kent Street to Rehoboth Avenue, will be closed for the duration of the race. Organizers expect 3,000 runners on Saturday. 

The fire hall will also be the site of the Rehoboth Beach Volunteer Fire Company Auxiliary craft show, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

To accommodate traffic for the town hall, city spokeswoman Krys Johnson said parking spaces will be reserved around the fire hall. She said three spaces are reserved in front of Conch Island on Rehoboth Avenue and six more spaces on the north side of the island near Conch Island. Johnson said eight spaces on the south side of the island on Rehoboth Avenue, directly across from Dos Locos, will also be reserved. She said there will be a handicap drop off/pick up point at the fire hall entrance, which will be marked with “Reserved” signs. 

To view a copy of the proposed charter change, visit cityofrehoboth.com.