Dover council advances FY2027 budget plan with proposed tax and electric-rate increases

Dover City Council voted nearly unanimously on May 20 to advance a balanced FY2027 budget plan that would raise property taxes and the city’s electric-use charge, include department cuts and use $1.6 million in state funding for public-safety services the city provides to Delaware State University.

The council action advanced the plan. The available record does not establish that a final FY2027 budget with these rates has been enacted.

Proposed changes to taxes and electric charges

The plan includes a proposed increase of 3 cents for every $100 of assessed property value. It also includes a proposed increase of 1 cent per kilowatt-hour in Dover’s electric-use rate.

Those figures describe the proposal considered by council, rather than confirmed final rates or effective dates. The plan also includes department cuts, although the available reporting does not identify the departments affected.

For Dover residents, the proposal puts changes to property-tax bills and electric-use charges alongside reductions in city departments. The budget plan is therefore a direct fiscal and service issue for people who pay city taxes or electric charges and rely on city services.

State payment changed the plan’s structure

The Delaware General Assembly confirmed $1.6 million for police and fire services that Dover provides to Delaware State University. That payment allowed council members to reduce the property-tax increase and eliminate a proposed residential public-safety fee.

The approved plan consequently relies on a combination of the proposed tax and electric-use increases, department cuts and the state payment. The state funding also removed the proposed residential fee from the package advanced by council.

Final terms still need confirmation

The May 20 vote is an important budget-stage action, but it should not be read as confirmation that the proposed 3-cent property-tax increase or 1-cent electric-use increase is final. The exact final tax rate and effective dates require confirmation in an adopted FY2027 budget or subsequent Dover City Council minutes.

Until such a record is available, the known action is that council advanced a balanced plan with the stated proposed charges, department cuts and state support for public-safety services connected to Delaware State University.