Milford City Council Meeting Summary - June 22, 2026

The Milford City Council met on June 22, 2026, beginning with a 15-minute public comment period and moving through department updates, two authorization votes, a split retainage vote, and executive session actions. This summary covers the Deep Branch Park Phase One update, selection of an audit firm, and contract actions for the Milford Corporate Center project.

Public Comments & Testimony

• Reggie Davis, with the Utility Workers Union of America, gave the only public comment. He said Milford Public Works employees recently selected the union as their bargaining representative and want a voice and a fair union contract.
• Davis alleged that immediately after union certification, city management unjustly discharged one union supporter on the same day it learned workers had selected the union, despite naming that employee Employee of the Month; terminated another union supporter; disciplined another; and told workers they would lose their COLA increases because they chose union representation, even though state law guarantees this right. He said these abuses will not stand, vowed to fight every retaliatory action, and urged the city to end this conduct and build a constructive relationship.

Recognition and Communications

• The Mayor and councilmembers thanked Councilwoman Katrina Wilson and her family for the Juneteenth festival, and thanked Public Works, Parks and Recreation, and the police department. Keynote speaker Reba Hollandsworth, who will be 100 in October, was praised for her valuable history.
• A reminder was issued that the Ward 3 election is July 25, with a filing deadline of July 2.
• The DLLG dinner will be Thursday at the Cheswold Fire Hall, with Kent County Deputy State Solicitor Stacey Bone Mandy as guest speaker; it is the final DLLG meeting of the season until September.
• A councilmember announced being installed as President of the Delaware Municipal Clerks Association, with the term beginning that Thursday.

Discussion Items

Deep Branch Park Phase One Update

• Parks and Recreation Director Brad Denny provided an informational update. At the May 27, 2025 council meeting, council voted to move forward with Phase One of Deep Branch Park, approve the preliminary site plan, pursue agency approvals, and competitively bid the project.
• The phase includes the entranceway, sub-base, curb, parking lot, sidewalk, perimeter stone trail, stormwater pond excavation, topsoil and bank stabilization, runoff pipe, grinder pump and force main, water service for a future restroom, landscape buffering, privacy fencing, and an automated gate.
• The design consultant's construction cost estimate is $1,479,810.20; with contingencies, the total project cost is about $1.5 million. Funding includes $1,097,500 in anticipated grants from Community Reinvestment Funds, Community Transportation Funds, and the Outdoor Recreation, Parks and Trails program, of which $963,823 remains available or anticipated. The $576,177 balance is made up of $436,177 in previously approved general fund reserves from the downtown restrooms and Marshall Pond projects and $140,000 in FY26 Realty Transfer Taxes.
• Denny explained that soil borings are needed for Sussex County Conservation Authorization. This will require clearing an overgrown access way and bringing equipment onto the site for one or two days. He stressed that this is not construction; after agency approvals, Phase One will be advertised for competitive public bidding and brought back to council.

Audit Services Bid Award

• Finance Director Lou Vitola reported that the Finance and Audit Committee unanimously recommended engaging ZNA for a three-year audit of the city.
• The RFP process used independent scoring by two committee members, with a third scorer held in reserve in case of a tie. Price counted for 25 percent of the scoring, and the selected firm had relevant public-sector and utility audit experience.
• Council approved the recommendation unanimously.

Milford Corporate Center - George & Lynch Change Order No. 5

• Public Works Director Willis Shea presented two contract actions for the Milford Corporate Center Phase One project.
• Change order no. 5: George & Lynch requested a 49-day, no-cost time extension because of delays in Verizon telecommunication line relocation on Milford Harrington Highway and electric conduit construction. The contract completion date would move from July 10, 2026 to August 28, 2026.
• Retainage reduction: George & Lynch requested reducing retainage from 6 percent to 3 percent. Current retainage is $1,015,685.99 with 89 percent of the project complete; the reduced final retainage would be $569,582.53. The contractor would provide a one-year guarantee after conditional acceptance. KCI Technologies and staff recommended approval.
• During discussion, a councilmember asked about financial exposure from the retainage reduction. Vitola said the release was already recorded as an expense and did not create a financing problem, and that KCI's support indicated solid work; with the 49-day delay, holding full retainage creates a significant cost of funding for the contractor on the $18 million project. Councilman James said he rarely saw retainage reduced before the punch-list period. Willis Shea said George & Lynch had been an excellent partner, the project was about 95 percent complete, and the remaining work was mostly electrical conduit.
• A councilmember voting no cited the unknown amount of the one-year bond and the fact that this was the fifth change order.

Executive Session and Motions

• Council moved into executive session and later returned to open session.
• A motion on issue no. 1 authorized the city manager and city solicitor to move forward with contract negotiations as discussed in executive session. The motion passed without opposition.
• A motion on issue no. 2 authorized the city manager and city solicitor to take actions as discussed in executive session; after a request for specificity, a councilmember clarified the action as rescinding the withdrawal of the affidavit. The motion passed without opposition.
• Council then adjourned.

Key Outcomes

• Unanimously approved engaging ZNA to perform the city's financial audit for three years.
• Approved George & Lynch change order no. 5, extending the Milford Corporate Center Phase One completion date to August 28, 2026, at no additional cost.
• Approved the George & Lynch retainage reduction from 6 percent to 3 percent by a 4-3 vote.
• Authorized city staff to proceed with executive session actions related to contract negotiations and to rescind the withdrawal of the affidavit.
• Took no formal vote on the Deep Branch Park Phase One update; it was informational, with next steps of soil borings, agency approvals, and then competitive bidding.