Agenda for Regular Meeting

Synopsis: This Resolution is being presented by the Administration for City Council’s reviewand approval. If approved, Council would be authorizing the Department of Real Estate and Housing (RE&H) to declare 23 city-owned properties as surplus for the purpose of allowing them to be disposed of by RE&H. Such disposal could include rehabilitation and sale to a private owner. The properties are located at 860 N. Bennett Street, 854 N. Bennett Street, 414 E. 10th Street, 934 N. Pine Street, 2702 Moore Street, 858 N. Spruce Street, 860 N. Spruce Street, 509 Concord Avenue, 2227 Lamotte Street, 316 New Castle Avenue, 20 South Street, 608 E. 11th Street, 400 W. 30th Street, 402 W. 30th Street, 917 N. Bennett Street, 10 E. 23rd Street, 728 E. 10th Street, 916 N. Bennett Street, 914 N. Kirkwood Street, 2907 N. Market Street, 0 NS Green Street, 301 S. Heald Street and 405 S. Claymont Street.

Synopsis: This Ordinance is being presented by the Administration and City Council for CityCouncil’s review and approval. If approved, Council would be authorizing the City to establish a pilot program for mobile food vending vehicles to park on City streets in metered parking spaces that are designated by the Commissioner of Public Works. The pilot program will begin when this Ordinance becomes law and will end on June 30, 2016. Licensed, inspected and properly permitted food vending vehicles would be given an opportunity to reserve City-designated parking spaces on a daily basis from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. and during evening hours. Each approved food vendor would pay the City a daily fee of $22.00 which is an amount that would cover the daily average income of two metered parking spaces which would be required to accommodate a food vending vehicle. Each vendor would also pay a transactional fee to an online vendor approved by the Public Works Commissioner which would handle the daily scheduling of the locations which the mobile food vendors would reserve. Under this Ordinance, a food vending vehicle operator will be allowed to conduct business if he/she has a valid State and City business license, has passed a safety inspection by the City Fire Marshal’s Office and has obtained proper insurance and State health inspection documentation, all of which has been verified by the City’s Department of Licenses and Inspections. Currently, food vending trucks are only required to be inspected by the City Fire Marshal’s Office prior to a special event in the City.

Synopsis: This Ordinance is being presented by City Council for Council’s review and approval. If approved, Council would be authorizing amendments to Chapter 40 of the City Code that would require City employees to report annually any outstanding delinquencies to the City in taxes or fees. Specifically, this Ordinance would require all elected and appointed City officials to file an annual declaration of delinquent obligations with the City’s Human ResourcesDepartment by the last day in January. Employees would have to declare if they were delinquent on property taxes, water/sewer fees, license and inspection fees, parking or red light fines or fees, or any other obligation owed to the City. Failure to comply with the law would result in disciplinary action up to and including discharge.

Synopsis: This Resolution is being presented by the Administration and City Council for council’s review and approval. If approved, Council would be declaring that the vacant residential property rate in the City of Wilmington exceeds 3% of the total number of residential properties in the City. Such a public declaration of a vacancy rate in excess of 3% is required by the State of Delaware’s law which enables Land Banks to be established. Wilmington’s vacant residential property rate stood at 16% in calendar year 2013 and at 15% in calendar years 2012, 2011 and 2010.

Synopsis: This Ordinance is being presented by the Administration and City Council for Council’s review and approval. If approved, Council would be authorizing the establishment of a non-profit corporation to be known as the Wilmington Neighborhood Conservancy Land Bank Corporation (WNCLBC), granting this entity all of the rights and powers provided to a Land Bank by the Delaware Code. The Ordinance also establishes the composition of the Board of Directors of the WNCLBC which will serves as the management of the Land Bank as well as the WNCLBC Technical Board comprised of State, City and community-based organizations which will advise the WNCLBC. A land bank is a public authority created to efficiently hold, manage and develop vacant/blighted properties and acts as a legal and financial mechanism to transform vacant, abandoned and tax-foreclosed property back to productive use. A land bank can revitalize blighted neighborhoods and direct reinvestment back into these neighborhoods to support a comprehensive or longer-term community vision.