Escucha la noticia “Reevaluaciones de propiedades en Delaware” en español:
Today, Senate and House Republican leaders held a joint press conference to discuss concerns and misinformation connected to property reassessments and tomorrow’s special session of the 153rd General Assembly.
Republican lawmakers (Senate Republican Leader Gerald Hocker, Senate Republican Whip Brian Pettyjohn, House Republican Leader Tim Dukes, and House Republican Whip Jeff Spiegelman) reviewed their proposals to ensure school districts remain financially stable while protecting property owners and vulnerable Delawareans from sudden and unaffordable tax hikes.
They also addressed recent factually incorrect claims by the Delaware State Education Association and other outside activist groups that the proposed bills would reduce public school funding.
In addition, they commented about the bipartisan legislation clarifying that all Delaware municipalities have the longstanding authority to set different tax rates for various classes of real property has been introduced in the General Assembly.
Sponsored by Senate Republican Whip Brian Pettyjohn and House Republican Leader Tim Dukes, Senate Bill 204 (SB 204) would enable local governments the ability to establish reasonable property classifications, such as residential and non-residential, and apply uniform tax rates within each classification.
The measure would eliminate the need for separate legislative action to amend individual municipal charters to allow this flexibility, streamlining the process for local governments and avoiding legal uncertainty. The City of Wilmington already uses this system, and last year, the City of New Castle’s charter was updated to do the same.
“Local governments know their communities best,” said Senator Brian Pettyjohn.
“By putting this into state law, we are giving them the clarity and flexibility they need to make property tax decisions that are fair, reasonable, and tailored to their unique needs.”
Because the legislation amends provisions related to municipal charters, it will require the support of two-thirds of the members in both the House and Senate to pass.
SB 204 is on the Senate agenda for this evening special session.
