Agenda for Regular Meeting

Synopsis: This Resolution is being presented by the Administration for City Council’s review and approval. If approved, Council would be authorizing the City to accept $315,324 in grant funding from the State of Delaware for the operation and cost of the City’s Summer youth employment Program. There are no matching City funds required for this grant. The program is scheduled to begin June 15, 2015 and end on August 21, 2015.

Synopsis: This Resolution is being presented by the Administration for City Council’s review and approval. If approved, Council would be authorizing the City to accept $791,512 in grant funding from the Federal government for the operation and cost of the City’s Summer Food Service Program. There are no matching City funds required for this grant however the City is required to pay the food service vendor and then seek reimbursement from the Federal government. The program is scheduled to begin June 15, 2015 and end on August 21, 2015.

Synopsis: This Ordinance is being presented by the Administration for City Council’s review and approval. If approved, Council would be authorizing the City to enter into a five-year lease agreement with the Delaware Center for Horticulture (DCH) for a nominal fee of $1.00 per year. Under the terms of the lease, the DCH would be able to use five city-owned parcels of land for a community garden. The parcels are 1108 through 1116 East 12th Street and 1125 and 1127 Brandywine Street.

Synopsis: This Ordinance is being presented by City Council for Council’s review and approval. If approved, Council would be authorizing the elimination of a traffic and parking regulation related to the Community Education Building (CEB) on French Street. Pursuant to Substitute #1 to Ordinance 14-024, City Council had previously authorized temporary traffic and parking regulations related to the CEB that expired on May 14. This new Ordinance would continue all of the previous traffic and parking regulations regarding the CEB with the exception of allowing the closure of French Street to vehicular traffic which is currently permitted two times each weekday to allow for the loading and unloading of students from school buses. After passage of this Ordinance, only intermittent closure of French Street would be permitted for the loading and unloading of students and only when such a closure is directed by the Wilmington Police Department in consultation with officials of the CEB for the safety of students.

Synopsis: This Resolution is being presented by the Administration for City Council’s review and approval. If approved, Council would be authorizing the City’s Office of EconomicDevelopment to complete the purchase of 726 A Street for $100,000 from Carriage House Associates LLC. The property will be used for the development of the South Wilmington Wetlands Project and for the remediation of flooding in the Southbridge neighborhood.

Synopsis: This Resolution is being presented by City Council for Council’s review and approval. If approved, Council would be urging the Delaware General Assembly to provide additional workplace violence protections for nurses to a section of Delaware law that charges persons who harm nurses in an emergency response situation with a Class D felony of assault in the 2nddegree. This Resolution urges state lawmakers to prosecute perpetrators who harm or injure nurses who are also working in a non-emergency situation such as home health care and nursing homes. The Resolution notes that in the course of their non-emergency duties at times, nurses often encounter delirious, agitated and sometimes aggressive individuals.

Synopsis: This Resolution is being presented by City Council for Council’s review and approval.If approved, Council would be agreeing to extend the period by which the City Planning Commission may review the former Wilmington Finishing Company project by an additional 90 days through and including September 1, 2015. Ordinance 14-026, introduced June 5, 2014, proposes amendments to the City Zoning Map by rezoning the property in question from C-6 to W-4 and R-2 zoning classifications.

Synopsis: This Ordinance is being presented by the Administration for Council’s review and approval. If approved, Council would be authorizing a property tax rate for the new fiscal year. Passage of this particular Ordinance will keep the City’s current property tax rate of $1.855 per$100 of assessed value of a property the same for the new fiscal year (FY 2016) that begins July 1.

Synopsis: This Ordinance is being presented by the Administration for Council’s review and approval. If approved, Council would be authorizing a water, sewer and stormwater rate for the new fiscal year. Passage of this particular Ordinance will keep the City’s current water and sewer rate the same for the new fiscal year (FY 2016) that begins July 1.

Synopsis: This Ordinance is being presented by the Administration for Council’s review and approval. If approved, Council would be authorizing a six-year capital budget program for the City. The Capital Budget is funded through the issuance of general obligation bonds with a resulting debt service obligation on the part of the City requiring yearly cash payments over a particular period of time to repay the interest and principal on a debt. Items funded in capital budgets often include repair, renovation, and construction of facilities, infrastructure, streets, etc. The FY 2016 – FY 2021 Capital Program totals $257,854,000 which is the estimate of all funds necessary to meet the future capital needs of the City based on this plan or program. Of the total amount needed to fund the program, $75,039,000 would come from the General Fund Budget, $149,865,000 would come from the Water/Sewer Budget, $5,150,000 would come from the Internal Service Fund and $27,800,000 would come from other funds.

Synopsis: This Ordinance is being presented by the Administration for Council’s review and approval. If approved, Council would be authorizing an FY 2016 Capital Budget plan for the City. The Ordinance totals $77,825,000 which is consistent with Capital Program for Fiscal Years 2016-2021 as reviewed and recommended by the City Planning Commission at its March 17, 2015 meeting. The Capital Budget is funded through the issuance of general obligation bonds with a resulting debt service obligation on the part of the City. The debt service requires yearly cash payments over a particular period of time in order to repay the interest and principal on a debt. Items funded in capital budgets often include repair, renovation and construction of facilities, infrastructure, streets, etc.

Synopsis: This Ordinance is being presented by the Administration for Council’s review and approval. If approved, Council would be authorizing a General Operating Budget for Fiscal Year 2016 that totals $151,696,858. This is an increase of 1.1% over the current Fiscal Year 2015 Operating Budget. The Operating Budget is compiled annually by the Administration based on revenue projections and requested appropriations to fund various expenditures such as employee salaries and benefits, and City programs and services such as police, fire, public works, license and inspections, trash and recycling collections, etc. The new budget, if approved by Council, will become effective on July 1, 2015 and will expire on June 30, 2016.

Synopsis: This Resolution is being presented by the Administration for City Council’s review and approval. If approved, Council would be authorizing the Wilmington Police Department to accept two grants from the Delaware Criminal Justice Council. One grant is for the amount of $37,456 to be used for police overtime for enforcement of Protection From Abuse (PFA) orders. The second grant totaling $15,000 would be used to fund a Youth Victim Advocate.

Synopsis: This Resolution is being presented by City Council for Council’s review and approval. If approved, Council would be urging federal, state and local officials to continue their efforts to assess and mitigate any risks to citizens posed by the rail transport of crude oil through Wilmington and all of Delaware. This Resolution is presented to highlight the dangers associated with the transportation of volatile substances through communities, and to urge safety officials at all levels to give careful consideration to the health and safety of residents.