Wilmington City Council Hears Mayor Carney’s FY2027 Budget Address on March 19, 2026
Wilmington City Council Hears Mayor Carney’s FY2027 Budget Address on March 19, 2026
On March 19, 2026, the Wilmington City Council convened a special meeting at the historic 1798 building to hear Mayor John Carney deliver the Fiscal Year 2027 budget address, followed by regular legislative business, public comment, and council communications. The meeting was preceded by an opening prayer, Pledge of Allegiance, a performance by the Womanton Children’s Choir, a saxophone rendition of "America," and a poem entitled "Watch Us Fly" by Dr. Tracy Carey. Council President Trippie Congo presided.
Consent Calendar
- The minutes of the March 5, 2026 meeting were approved as written.
- The city treasurer’s report was received, recorded, and filed, showing total investments of $560,091,107.34, cash on hand $17,195,224.07, and a grand total of $577,286,331.41.
Public Comments & Testimony
- Lordes Rivera (homeowner of 37 years) requested rental assistance, improved Spanish translation for 311, no increase in water bills, and better sanitation service. She noted that many senior and immigrant neighbors struggle with rising costs.
- Kathleen Patterson (2nd District) expressed support for neighborhood stabilization funding but criticized the lack of rental assistance in the mayor’s budget, stating that existing programs are insufficient to cover full rent for struggling families.
- Cheryl Paul (Dover, DE, with the WFWP) criticized the mayor’s language (“these people”) as othering and urged council to find budget cuts to fund rental assistance for low-income families, noting high average rents ($1,450 for one bedroom) versus average weekly pay ($600).
- Brandon Fletcher urged council to exercise its constitutional authority to amend the budget and called for a Wilmington rental assistance program as an eviction prevention tool.
- George Johnson (in person) stated the city is in a crisis of unaffordability and demanded funding for rental assistance, arguing that housing is a human right and that new luxury developments are pricing out residents.
- Lisa Torres (teacher, Red Clay School District) supported rent stabilization (capping increases at 3–5%) and cautioned against rushing the Christina School District redistricting process, emphasizing the need for equitable transitions.
- Additional speakers (Cheyenne Miller, DJ Shepard, Claire Demather) were called but not heard; Chris Diamond was not present when called.
Mayor’s Budget Address (Discussion Item)
Mayor John Carney presented the FY2027 budget, highlighting:
- No increase in property taxes and a 9.95% cap on water/sewer rate increases.
- Proposed general fund budget: $212,616,177; water and sewer fund: $100,294,669.
- Public safety: Lowest shootings in two decades; creation of an Office of Community Safety (funded in budget); addition of 12 new firefighter EMT positions; citywide ambulance service with average response time under five minutes; focus on “hot spots” for drug/alcohol-related nuisance.
- Housing and homelessness: 300 vacant properties rehabilitated via land bank; $500,000 allocated to land bank; 4,000 total housing units added since 2016 (20% affordable); new bathrooms and mobile showers at Christina Park; temporary shelter at Hicks Anderson during cold storm.
- Education: Wilmington Learning Collaborative; Maurice Pritchett Academy built; 80% reading growth in summer pilot; goal of third-grade reading proficiency.
- Economic development: Executive order for economic development roundtable; Insight moving 200 employees to downtown; higher education complex with Widener, UD, DSU; Corteva bringing 200+ jobs; JP Morgan Chase investing $400M; $4M added to strategic fund; $1 million for disadvantaged businesses (largest ever DBA infusion).
- Parks: Rodney Reservoir Park transformed; renovations at Barbara Hicks Park and East Lake Park (with 76ers); improvements at Camby Park and master plans for multiple other parks.
- Mayor thanked city employees for snowstorm response.
Councilmember Reactions & Communications
- Councilmember Darby criticized the mayor and his administration for leaving immediately after the budget address, calling it disrespectful to the community and council. She vowed to post video of the empty seats.
- Councilmember Harley announced budget hearings will begin the first week of April (first Monday) and invited public participation.
- Councilmember Oliver thanked attendees for birthday wishes.
- Councilmember Field noted the historic venue and urged the Delaware History Society to engage more on Wilmington issues.
- Councilmember McCoy reminded of the 6th District town hall on March 24 at Claymore Senior Center.
- Councilmember Bracey and others thanked council staff, WITN, and the historical society for organizing the off-site meeting.
- Councilmember Hackett (first budget address) urged a “one council” approach with community town halls to hear resident priorities.
- Councilmember Cabrera (virtual) expressed support for housing and rental assistance, looking forward to budget hearings.
Key Outcomes
- Legislative business: Councilmember Harley presented five ordinances for first and second readings, all referred to the Finance and Economic Development Committee:
- Ordinance 26-022: Tax rate for FY2027 (July 1, 2026 – June 30, 2027).
- Ordinance 26-023: Capital program for FY2027–2032.
- Ordinance 26-024: Capital budget for FY2027.
- Ordinance 26-025: Annual operating budget for FY2027.
- Ordinance 26-026: Amendments to sewer, water, and stormwater rates for FY2027.
- No final votes were taken; all ordinances await committee review.
- Next steps: Budget hearings begin April 2026; public invited to participate in person or virtually.
- Meeting adjourned after motion carried.
Meeting Transcript
The meeting will please come to order. Good evening. My name is Trippie Congo, president of Wilmington City Council. And on behalf of all of my colleagues, we want to thank all of you for joining us this evening. Also for anyone who was with us virtually, thank you as well. We are going to have our opening prayer by Akira Granado. Heavenly Father, we have assembled to handle the affairs of our city. As we do so, we ask for your guidance and understanding. We pray that our city reaches a place of peace and safety. Keep us out of harm's way and bless those who are in authority. Let respect be key in all our endeavors. Amen. At this time, we'll we will recite the Pledge of Allegiance. Councilman Owens, President, Councilwoman Darby, President, Councilwoman Oliver, Councilman Harley, Councilwoman Willower, Councilwoman McCoy, Councilman Johnson, Councilman Johnson. Councilman Field. Councilman Spadola. Present. Here. Twelfth present and one absent. Good evening, everyone. I'm Yosenia Tavares, Director of Communications for Wilmington City Council. It is my honor to welcome you to this very special and historic evening. Thank you all for being here. Tonight, we gather in a place that holds the very foundation of that story. Built in 1798, this building once stood as the center of civic life in Wilmington. It was here that voices were heard, decisions were made, and the future of our city began to take shape. As we prepare to hear Mayor John Carney deliver the fiscal year twenty twenty-seven budget address, we are reminded that civic engagement is not just about policy. It's about people. So embrace this moment. As tonight is more than a meeting. Thank you. Thank you. And now we are going to have a very special performance from the Womanton Children's Course, which is a tuition-free community course. Access to high quality music education. Joining us today are members of the chamber singers, the course's most advanced ensemble. Whose broad stripes and bright stars through the spot on the boards we watch was on God streaming. God of Jews now who has wrong small way. This time we are going to have a video of Dr. Tracy Carey sharing a poem entitled Watch Us Fly. Why you wanna fly blackbird? You ain't never gonna fly. They ask. Why you wanna fly, black bird? You ain't never gonna fly. Why you wanna be blackbird? You ain't never gonna be. One street veers left, and another street veers right. One street declared free, another street declares fight or flight. Thirteen colonies, Delaware in mid-region, three county divide. And here we stand in Newcastle County, sixteen seventy-four, in populated Wilmington state, named after Dela War.
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