DOVER, Del. - Democratic leaders in the Delaware General Assembly have announced the formation of bipartisan special committees to investigate the statewide property reassessment, following mounting concern with new tax bills sent to homeowners.
The announcement comes just weeks after lawmakers passed emergency legislation during a special session on Aug. 12 to address issues in the first statewide reassessment in about 40 years. The new committees will hold four public hearings this fall to examine how property values were determined and what legislative fixes may be needed to ensure fairness going forward.
Senate Majority Leader Bryan Townsend said, “In addition to passing a package of House and Senate bills, we also passed a resolution committing the General Assembly to a comprehensive review of Delaware’s reassessment processes. Today’s announcement is the next step in delivering on that commitment.”
However a statement from the Delaware House of Representatives Republican Caucus director of policy and communications, Joseph Fulgham, met the announcement with criticism.
“Someone in House and Senate leadership might want to consult a dictionary on the meaning of ‘bipartisan.’ Just as they did before and during the special session on reassessment, this process has been entirely partisan. Democratic leaders held closed-door meetings with select groups, drafted legislation behind the scenes, and rushed those bills through the legislature—without proper vetting, due process, and an opportunity for public input." said Fulgham. "Meanwhile, Republican-sponsored legislation introduced prior to, or concurrently with, the Democrat-backed reassessment measures was ignored. This approach effectively silenced the voices of the one-third of Delawareans represented by Republican lawmakers."
The hearings will focus on a range of topics including: the methodology used by Tyler Technologies and the options available for those challenging their valuations. Later hearings will explore alternative reassessment models, tax structures, the impact on people with limited incomes and how property taxes intersect with public education funding.
The hearing schedule is currently:
Week of Sept. 22: Review of the recent reassessment and how county and state agencies handled it
Week of Oct. 6: Evaluation of tax structures and reassessment approaches from other states
Week of Oct. 20: Programs supporting people facing economic hardship and the effectiveness of existing tax exemptions
Week of Nov. 3: Examination of the relationship between reassessments and education funding
All hearings will take place in the Senate Chamber at Legislative Hall and will be open to the public, with livestreams available online. Lawmakers say committee membership and public engagement opportunities will be announced in the coming days.