Rehoboth to review fees, fines as part of next year’s budget
Rehoboth Beach commissioners are planning to update fees, fines and penalties as part of next year’s budget.
City officials took the first steps toward that action Nov. 21, by passing of an official schedule of those fees, fines and penalties.
The topic was first discussed by Assistant City Manager Evan Miller during a commissioner workshop Nov. 10. Miller facilitated the discussion Nov. 21 by reviewing what’s being proposed. He presented commissioners with two ordinances – one removing specific fees from code and one removing specific penalties from code.
Over the course of the past few months, staff has pulled out any specific references to fees and penalties in city code, and instead added wording about the new schedule of fees and penalties, said Miller. The schedule, or list, includes the specific code section for the fee, fine or penalty, and a general description of what the money is for, he said.
Miller said city staff is recommending this be done so it’s easier for commissioners to review the fees and penalties. Then they can be changed through resolution, he said.
Mayor Stan Mills reminded everyone that all the fees and penalties on the schedule are existing. There have been no changes whatsoever, he said.
Commissioner Chris Galanty said he thinks the consolidation makes sense, and then asked about the process for revisiting some of the dollar amounts for the fees and penalties. It seems like the city has some very antiquated numbers, he said.
City Manager Taylour Tedder said creating the schedule of fees, getting everything in one place, is the first step in the process of reviewing the fees. The plan is to bring the schedule back to discuss any possible changes during the budget process, he said.
The city’s budget runs April 1 to March 31. City officials begin hashing out the details in January. Typically, there are five budget meetings before it is approved in March.
This will be an item during one of those budget meetings, said Tedder.
Miller said city staff has already done some work behind the scenes in reviewing the fees and penalties. He said recommendations will be ready when the budget process starts.
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. He’s a graduate of the University of Maine and the Landing School of Boat Building & Design.
