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Record of Proceedings

Kent County Levy Court Workshop – October 6, 2026

Meeting Portal — Tuesday, October 6, 2026
BodyKent County, Delaware
SessionMeeting Portal
DateTuesday, October 6, 2026
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 52:43

Original source
Transcript — VerbatimClick a timed line to jump · ⧉ to share it

Speaker numbers apply only to this recording.

Speaker 1

0:00

Matt.

0:00

I can get event

Speaker 2

0:01

tomorrow morning with one

Speaker 1

0:02

day in that.

Speaker 3

0:03

Send him one as well.

0:04

I have a little cart you can have.

0:05

Because right now it's collecting dust because I use it.

0:08

So no, but you can modify it.

0:12

And I'll gladly donate it.

Unassigned speaker

0:16

That way I got parts of the city.

Speaker 3

0:20

But I ain't using that.

Speaker 1

0:22

We don't need parts.

0:23

We need new models.

0:25

Lay your parts away.

0:26

That's what's that's restored.

0:27

You're trying to you're trying to get stuff we call parts.

Speaker 4

0:31

New

Speaker 1

0:31

models, you don't need parts.

Speaker 2

0:33

I had my son in law.

0:34

It was heavy duty.

0:36

Oh, it's too hard to operate.

Unassigned speaker

0:38

I give it back to the too heavy.

Speaker 2

0:39

Yeah.

Speaker 1

0:41

You need some lighter frame.

Speaker 3

0:44

How are you?

Unassigned speaker

0:45

Good.

Speaker 3

0:47

And I'm glad to be

Unassigned speaker

0:48

here.

Unassigned speaker

0:56

Okay,

Speaker 3

0:56

it is 6 p.m.

0:58

on Tuesday, October 6th, 2026, we're here at Kent County Levy Court Workshop.

1:03

I'd like to call the meeting to order.

1:05

For that, I will turn it over to our county administrator, Catherine Siball.

Speaker 4

1:09

Thank you, Madam President.

1:10

This workshop is being held in person at 555 Bay Road, Dover Delaware in the caucus room.

1:15

We're also making it available via the internet through WebEx.

1:18

Participants can join us by phone or by computer during a meeting.

1:21

Workshops are an opportunity for levy court commissioners to publicly discuss policy issues among themselves and with staff.

1:26

While members of the public are welcome to observe participation is normally limited to commissioners and staff.

1:32

There'll be an opportunity for public comment for those attending in person or online.

1:35

When the president opens the public comment period, there's attending in person and ready for any hand to be recognized.

1:40

If you're joining us by phone and wish to comment, please press star three, which will raise your electronic hand.

1:46

Our operator will identify you and bring you into the meeting.

1:48

Pressing star six will mute and I'll mute your line.

1:51

If you're online, you will see a handy microphone icon at the bottom of your right of your screen.

1:56

Please use those at the appropriate times.

1:58

This meeting is being recorded and will follow the rules of procedures adopted by Levy Court as well as the Mason Rules of Order.

2:04

Back to you, Madame Pro.

Speaker 3

2:05

We do have six commissioners present.

2:08

Um that we do have a quorum.

2:09

I'll turn it back over to County Administrator for our work versus workshop items.

Speaker 4

2:13

Yes, thank you very much.

2:14

Uh tonight we have with us um several individuals from the first state aquatic center to do a give us a presentation about uh their upcoming project, and I'll turn it over to them and they can introduce themselves and and uh give your presentation.

Speaker 5

2:30

Great.

2:32

All right.

Unassigned speaker

2:33

Well,

Speaker 5

2:33

happy Tuesday evening to everybody.

2:35

Thank you for allowing us to be here tonight.

Unassigned speaker

2:38

Uh

Speaker 5

2:39

my name is Julie Gorman, and along with Courtney Ford, we are the co-founders of the First State Aquatic Center.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Aquatic Facilities Development█████████████████████████████29%
Parks and Recreation██████████████████████22%
Emergency Management███████████11%
Procedural█████████9%
Economic Development█████5%
Public Engagement█████5%
Public Safety████4%
Budget Equity Analysis████4%
Veterans Affairs███3%
Summary of Proceedings

Kent County Levy Court Workshop – October 6, 2026

On Tuesday, October 6, 2026, at 6:00 PM, the Kent County Levy Court held a workshop in the Caucus Room at 555 Bay Road, Dover, Delaware. Six commissioners were present, establishing a quorum. The meeting featured presentations on a proposed aquatic center, updates to the county’s emergency operations and hazard mitigation plans, public comments, and commissioner remarks.

First State Aquatic Center Presentation

  • Julie Gorman and Courtney Ford, co-founders of the First State Aquatic Center, presented a vision for a multi-pool aquatic venue in Kent County. They highlighted the lack of public swim lessons (the county offers none), limited year-round pool access, and the need for a facility that could host regional competitions and serve diverse programs (swim lessons, fitness, therapy, water polo, military training, etc.).
  • They noted that the Greensboro Aquatic Center (NC) hosts 65 events per year and that there is no comparable facility on the Delmarva Peninsula. They identified potential locations near DE Turf, Dover Air Force Base, and the Frederica area, and estimated the facility would need about 20 acres.
  • The group requested $10,000 in matching funds from the county to conduct a feasibility study addressing water usage, operating costs, land acquisition, and market demand. They had already raised $10,000 from community donations. No formal vote was taken; commissioners asked questions about water sourcing (groundwater, annual replenishment), cost to operate, and the source of public interest. Commissioner Pepper noted the county has not built a new indoor pool in nearly 20 years. Commissioner Hurt raised concerns about liability and mentioned past failed aquarium proposals.
  • The presenters indicated they had not yet formally approached state legislators but had submitted a state sports tourism grant twice. They will follow up with County Administrator Catherine Siball to explore grant opportunities.

Kent County Emergency Operations Plan 2026 Update

  • Deputy Director Tinger presented the updated Emergency Operations Plan (last updated in 2020). The plan includes a base plan, emergency support functions, and hazard-specific annexes. No funding was requested. Commissioners agreed to place the plan on the consent agenda at the next business meeting for adoption.

Kent County Hazard Mitigation Plan 2026 Adoption

  • The Hazard Mitigation Plan, required on a five-year cycle by FEMA, was developed starting in 2024 with a steering committee, municipal meetings, and public input. FEMA has approved the plan. The next step is for Levy Court to adopt it via a resolution at the October 13, 2026 business meeting. The resolution language has been prepared.

Public Comments & Testimony

  • One member of the public commented on the aquatic center presentation, expressing confusion about the shift from a Cheswold location to more southern sites and questioning whether the facility would be accessible to all residents if it became busy with programming. No additional public comments were made in person or online.

Commissioners' Comments

  • Commissioner Pepper reported on tax bill delivery issues: many residents did not receive their bills by the September 30 deadline, though the county's collection rate remained at 96%. He noted a meeting with Senator Coons and Rep. McBride about USPS problems, and encouraged residents who did not receive bills to contact the county. He also suggested allowing taxpayers to make advance payments on future tax bills, which the current system does not support but a new system expected next year may allow. He also addressed complaints about the 1.99% credit card fee, noting that paying by check or in person is free.

Key Outcomes

  • The First State Aquatic Center will follow up with the County Administrator to explore grant opportunities; no county funding was approved at this meeting.
  • The Emergency Operations Plan will be placed on the consent agenda for the next business meeting.
  • The Hazard Mitigation Plan will be presented for adoption via a separate resolution at the October 13, 2026 business meeting.
  • No executive session was held; the meeting adjourned.

Meeting Transcript

Matt. I can get event tomorrow morning with one day in that. Send him one as well. I have a little cart you can have. Because right now it's collecting dust because I use it. So no, but you can modify it. And I'll gladly donate it. That way I got parts of the city. But I ain't using that. We don't need parts. We need new models. Lay your parts away. That's what's that's restored. You're trying to you're trying to get stuff we call parts. New models, you don't need parts. I had my son in law. It was heavy duty. Oh, it's too hard to operate. I give it back to the too heavy. Yeah. You need some lighter frame. How are you? Good. And I'm glad to be here. Okay, it is 6 p.m. on Tuesday, October 6th, 2026, we're here at Kent County Levy Court Workshop. I'd like to call the meeting to order. For that, I will turn it over to our county administrator, Catherine Siball. Thank you, Madam President. This workshop is being held in person at 555 Bay Road, Dover Delaware in the caucus room. We're also making it available via the internet through WebEx. Participants can join us by phone or by computer during a meeting. Workshops are an opportunity for levy court commissioners to publicly discuss policy issues among themselves and with staff. While members of the public are welcome to observe participation is normally limited to commissioners and staff. There'll be an opportunity for public comment for those attending in person or online. When the president opens the public comment period, there's attending in person and ready for any hand to be recognized. If you're joining us by phone and wish to comment, please press star three, which will raise your electronic hand. Our operator will identify you and bring you into the meeting. Pressing star six will mute and I'll mute your line. If you're online, you will see a handy microphone icon at the bottom of your right of your screen. Please use those at the appropriate times. This meeting is being recorded and will follow the rules of procedures adopted by Levy Court as well as the Mason Rules of Order. Back to you, Madame Pro. We do have six commissioners present. Um that we do have a quorum.

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