July Update

Dear neighbor,

Here is the latest update from your City Councilperson.

Quick Calendar and Links

July 9th Agenda

There are some items on the July 9th agenda that I think are of particular interest. Please come out to voice your thoughts, or get in touch with me ahead of time if you prefer to stay at home and watch the meeting online!

Park N Shop

The Park N Shop development is back on the agenda. The submitted plan presented to Council at the March 26th meeting has not substantially changed; however, the Subdivision agreement has been changed at the request of the developer. Items 8-10 have been added and you can read them in detail on page 2 at this link. The developer has expressed interest in continuing to resolve some of the community’s concerns through these changes. This project does require a Special Use Permit, which is at the discretion of Council. Please get in touch with your thoughts and to let me know if you are in support of this project or not.

Amstel Ave One Way Change

There is an ordinance up for public hearing on making Amstel Avenue one way eastbound from Orchard Road to South College and to remove parking on South College Avenue. I think that removing parking meters on South College might make sense; however, I do have some concerns about relocating parking meters on Amstel and making it one way.

Use of Lead Paint

There is also a bill up for a vote to address a gap in the City’s code when it comes to the use of lead paints. The General Assembly just passed HB 456 to address this problem in the state’s code, which City Council supported. The proposed City bill does not mirror the recently passed state bill so Council will have to decide to allow it to come back with additional protections for residents–or pass it as is.

Property Owners and Corporations Voting in City Referendums

Some of you have reached out to me about the provision in the City’s Charter that allows property owners and corporations to vote in City referendums. Changes to the City’s Charter can only be made by the Delaware General Assembly. I do plan on adding this item to a future agenda for a discussion at the dais. My goal would be to see if there is support to bring forward a resolution that Council can use to lobby the General Assembly to change our Charter. I have shared my thoughts on this issue in several news publications if you would like to get into the weeds on this one.

City Manager Search Update

The City Manager search is ramping up. I know it must seem like it’s been a long time coming, but there’s actually quite a lot of work behind finding our next City Manager. Here’s a link to the Interview Schedule as proposed by GovHR, our city manager search consultant.

The First Step:

Beginning next week, Council will be conducting first round interviews with candidates. Interviews will take place in Executive Session on July 11th and 12th, with a possible vote being made after the conclusion of the Executive Session on the the 12th.

The Next Step:

There will be a Community Meet and Greet for the City Manager candidates on July 24th at 7pm in Council Chambers. This will be the opportunity for the public to get to hear from and interact with the candidates.

The Final Step:

If all goes well, Council will be conducting final interviews and deliberations on July 25th and 26th.

As always, please reach out with any questions, concerns or comments.

Warm regards,

Jen Wallace
District 3 Councilperson