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.
Mayor John Carney presented the FY2027 budget, highlighting:
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.