Budget Review Process

Council will review the City’s proposed budget, and during public, televised budget hearings, listen to presentations from each department and ask questions about proposed spending plans. The first budget hearing will take place on Wednesday, April 2, 2025, beginning at 4:30 p.m., with the following departments presenting their budget to the council: the Mayor’s Office and Wilmington City Council. Budget hearing meetings will continue throughout the month of April, and will be conducted by the council’s finance committee.

 

• 4th District Council Member Michelle Harlee, Finance Chair

• At-Large Council Member Latisha Bracy, Vice Finance Chair

• 2nd District Council Member Shané N. Darby

• 3rd District Council Member Zanthia Oliver

• At-Large Council Member Alexander D. Hackett

• At-Large Council Member James Spadola

• City Council President Ernest Trippi Congo as Ex-Officio.

Beyond the members of the finance committee, other council members will participate in the budget review meetings.

 

Finance/Budget Information

The Office of Management & Budget is responsible for the development of the City’s annual budget and the six-year Capital Program. This includes conducting budget hearings with all Department Heads and subsequent meetings with the Mayor’s Office Chief of Staff and the Finance Committee of City Council along with the production of all related ordinances and documents, including a comprehensive proposed budget book. In budget meetings and hearings, qualitative analysis by OMB is presented for each department.

 

OMB also presents the budgeted revenue projections to City Council. After the passage of the Budget by City Council, OMB is responsible for the production of the Budget Book in accordance with GFOA guidelines and the budget award certification process. In addition, OMB plays an integral part of the Bond Rating and bond issuance processes and the formulation of the City’s Official Bond Statement.

Budget Review Process Website

 

How the Budget Works

Reviewing, voting on and ultimately adopting a balanced budget, as stipulated in City Charter Sections 2-300 and 2-303, is one of the most important tasks of the Wilmington City Council. Once the Mayor’s Office releases its proposed budget, members of City Council spend weeks reviewing it, preparing questions and, in many cases, offering suggestions for enhancements. A principal part of this process is our annual departmental budget hearings. Throughout the course of several weeks, every department presents its budget to the City Council, and it is during these hearings that your elected representatives have the opportunity to ask questions, offer suggestions and help to better understand where your tax dollars are spent. At the conclusion of the hearings, City Council and administration leadership engage in discussions to finalize agreement on the proposed budget.

 

Information on understanding the municipal budget process, and the legal requirements of the City of Wilmington related to its annual budget, can be read by clicking on the CITIZEN’S GUIDE TO THE BUDGET PROCESS, which is compiled by the City’s Office of Management and Budget and included in each year’s budget documents.

FY2025 CITY COUNCIL BUDGET HEARING SCHEDULE

• WEDNESDAY APRIL 2, 2025 at 4:30 PM

  Mayor’s Office
  Wilmington City Council

 

• MONDAY APRIL 7, 2025at 4:30 PM

  Revenue Projections
  Finance Department

 

• WEDNESDAY APRIL 9, 2025 at 4:30 PM

  City Auditor’s Office
  Public Works Department (GF&MF)

 

• MONDAY APRIL 14, 2025 at 4:30 PM

  Land Use & Planning Department
  Licenses & Inspections Department
  Real Estate & Housing Department

 

• WEDNESDAY APRIL 16, 2025 at 4:30 PM

  City Treasurer’s Office
  Office of Information Technology

 

• MONDAY APRIL 21, 2025 at 4:30 PM

  Parks & Recreation Department
  Mayor’s Office of Economic Development

 

• WEDNESDAY APRIL 23, 2025 at 4:30 PM

  Police Department
  Fire Department

 

• MONDAY APRIL 28, 2025 at 4:30 PM
  

  Human Resources Department
  Law Department

 

• WEDNESDAY APRIL 30, 2025 at 4:30 PM
  

  Public Works Department (WSF)
  Presentation Water Sewer Fund 6 – Year Financial Plan/ Public Works (WSF)

 

LOCATION: Louis L Redding City County Building, 800 N. French Street, Council Chambers Wilmington, DE 19801. *Revision #4 Meeting notice 4/12/2024 and subject to change.  Meetings will be Hybrid/Zoom With Anchor Location in Council Chambers.

 

The City Council must approve a balanced budget by June 1 or 30 days prior to the start of the fiscal year.

 

Ways to Participate

To connect to live hearings, go to Wilmington City Council’s website, click on the events calendar section, then click the link in the calendar on the day of the hearing and follow the listed instructions. All public budget hearings will be broadcasted on the city council’s website, Zoom, on WITN’s platforms on Facebook or YouTube, online at WITN22.org, on Comcast Channel 22, or on Wilmington City Council’s Facebook and Twitter. All public budget hearings will be archived on witn22.org for replay at any time.

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MEDIA INQUIRIES:
Yesenia Taveras
Director of Communications, Wilmington City Council
Office: (302)576-2585
Email: ytaveras@wilmingtonde.gov
City Council Website: www.wilmingtoncitycouncil.com