DEWEY BEACH, Del. - On Tuesday, the Dewey Beach Budget and Finance Committee held their first meeting of the fiscal year. The purpose of this meeting was to discuss the previous year's finances, as well as develop a five year capital expenditure budget. The committee was also going to be providing the Town Council with recommendations for the town's fee structure. The town told CoastTV that the other purpose of this meeting was to begin the conversation as to how they can generate funds for future projects. Dewey Beach does not have a property tax, therefore the town has to get money from other assets.
"We want to continue to set aside rainy day funds that we've been doing for years, and that's how we sustain ourselves without a property tax is by you know by setting aside money when days are good because some days you know things are not going to be good," explained Paul Bauer, Dewey Beach Town Commissioner.
Earlier this week, a rumor spread stating the town was looking to implement a property tax without holding a referendum. The town told CoastTV that this was a false statement, for they cannot legally instate a property tax without calling for a public referendum. The town does have five revenue streams that go towards projects. One of those streams is parking, and the town could change parking rules in order to generate more revenue. This could be either taking away free parking on Monday through Wednesday night from 5:00pm to 11:00pm, or increasing mandatory parking permits until September 30th.
James Caperelli lives in Dewey Beach and owns Jungle Jim's Total Pet Care in Dewey beach. Caperelli believes taking away free parking on Monday through Wednesday nights will have a negative impact on the town.
"Monday through Wednesday, that's movie nights and bonfire nights on the beach." Caperelli continued, "And you know it's for kids and families, and like all of us, the majority of them are on budgets."
Dewey Beach Town Commissioners will meet again on Friday, October 20th to discuss the situation further.