QUARTERLY OPEN TOWN MEETING
The Quarterly Open Town Meeting was held on February 1, 1993 at 7:30 p.m. with Mayor Knopf presiding. The meeting was held at the Salvation Army Sanctuary on Forest Street. Members of Council present were Council President Christiansen, Mr. Tudor, Mr. Hare, Mr. Levitt, Mr. Salters and Mr. Daisey. Mr. Leary was absent.
Mayor Knopf welcomed those present and invited comments or questions from the audience. Prior to opening the meeting, Mayor Knopf introduced those in the audience that have expressed an interest in running for City Council in April. He then opened the meeting for public comment.
T. Magoo Dorcy
Mr. T. Magoo Dorcy of Lot #155, 1131 Bay Road, asked what steps the City of Dover is taking to ensure that they do not violate the Freedom of Information Act. Council President Christiansen assured Mr. Dorcy that the City of Dover strives very hard to comply with Council to be sure that all meetings are held within the legal confines of the law.
Mr. Dorcy suggested that the City consider adoption of an ordinance to require that all house numbers be plainly printed in letters that are 4" x 20" for easier location by emergency vehicles. He also suggested that all police and fire vehicles be equipped with video cameras.
Mr. Tony Galla
Mr. Tony Galla of 925 Woodcrest Drive referred to the last Safety Advisory Committee meeting of January 26th and asked if Mr. Hutchison spoke in an official capacity for the City. Mayor Knopf stated that Mr. Hutchison was present at the meeting in his capacity as a candidate for City Council but spoke about the placement of the stop sign in his capacity as the former Chief of Police.
Mr. Galla requested that he be given a copy of the January 26th Safety Advisory Minutes and he was assured that minutes are available to the pubic. Mr. Galla reiterated his objections to the stop signs at the pedestrian crosswalk on Woodcrest Drive. Mr. Hare reminded Mr. Galla that although the committee did not take action to remove the signs, it has agreed that they would continue reviewing the matter.
Glenn Mahan
Mr. Glenn Mahan of 411 Nimitz Road reviewed the utility increases that the citizens of Dover have experienced during the last several months, which included significant increases in water/sewer bills and electric bills. Mr. Mahan stated that Council needs to understand that they cannot continue to spend money and expect the taxpayers to pay for it. Questioned by Mr. Mahan on the use of the VanSant Station, Mr. Worley explained that the VanSant Station is operational but is a peaking unit that is only used to supplement the McKee Run Station when needed.
Mr. Daisey explained that water/sewer rates are at the mercy of the County’s sewer adjustment rate which is passed directly to City customers. Although electric rates were recently increased, Mr. Daisey reminded Mr. Mahan that the City’s rates have been very low as compared to other companies. Recently, the City began use of 1% sulfur oil as opposed to the 3% sulfur oil that was previously used and this significantly increased costs.
Mr. Mahan also relayed his feeling that it is unfair to the taxpayers of the City of Dover to also be obligated to pay Kent County taxes when only the services of the City of Dover are being used by City residents.
Several members of Council explained that the City has been working with the County for many years to offer some tax relief to City residents since they use little or no services of the County. Although there is legislation to this affect for New Castle County, similar legislative action for Kent County has not been successful. Representatives of the City and County meet periodically and this is a matter of on-going discussion.
Cleveland Gore
Mr. Cleveland Gore of Persimmon Park Place stated that the Dover Housing Authority recently bought property at Persimmon Park Place. It is the understanding of property owners, that the Authority intends to make the homes available to low income families. Mr. Gore asked if the City of Dover has any involvement in this project.
Mr. Hare stated that the Dover Housing Authority is not under the jurisdiction of the City of Dover. It was Mr. Hare’s understanding that the Authority has purchased property at Persimmon Park Place with the intention of leasing them to families that cannot afford to purchase the home on their own but that it is not subsidized housing. He suggested that Mr. Gore contact Ms. Susan Farley, Executive Director of the Dover Housing Authority, for full details.
Rexene Ornauer
Mrs. Rexene Ornauer of 17 Mifflin Road stated that in past meetings it was stated that Senator Still was providing funding for the Route #8 OPTICUM System and she requested a status report on the purchase. For those that were not familiar with the OPTICUM System, Mrs. Ornauer explained that there is a device on the traffic lights that are activated by a similar device on an emergency vehicle which automatically changes the traffic light to green for emergency vehicle access. Mr. Worley stated that he would check into the matter and report back to Council.
Mrs. Ornauer asked if the City has its own state legislative lobbyist and was informed that the City uses the services of Sherman Stevenson through the Delaware League of Local Governments. The League’s Executive Director, Mayor George Wright, also works very hard on behalf of Delaware municipalities.
Mayor Knopf stated his feeling that the City is remiss in not having more representation in Legislative Hall. He stated that the Mayor and Council Members, in their capacity of part time officials, cannot properly represent the City at Legislative Hall. It is his feeling that the City loses out on many opportunities for grants because we are not actively involved at the State level.
Responding to questions by Mrs. Ornauer, Mr. Zack Carter, City Recreation Director, stated that an Aqua Center is being built in New Castle County, funded by the State of Delaware, at an approximate cost of $8 to $10 million. It was Mayor Knopf’s opinion that the City should become more aggressive in applying for state and federal grants, reminding Council of the amount of funds derived by the Police Department from grants. The funding sources can be easily identified by someone that deals with this issue on a daily basis.
Wallace Dixon
Mr. Wallace Dixon of 942 Bedford Drive asked what plans the Planning Department has for commercialization of Route #8. Mr. DePrima explained the concept of the Route #8 Corridor Study, stating that there are certain areas along Route #8 that the Study recommends for commercial use. He invited Mr. Dixon to come to the Planner’s Office for more detailed information. Responding to Mr. Dixon’s complaint of lights shining into his home from the newly constructed gas station on Route #8 and Saulsbury Road, Mr. DePrima stated that he will look into this problem.
Meeting Adjourned at 8:35 P.M.
DEBRAH J. BOAMAN
CITY CLERK
AARON O. KNOPF
MAYOR