| |  | | THE WILMINGTON CITY COUNCIL NEWSLETTER | | Dear Constituents,
I hope everyone is gearing up for a relaxing weekend ahead. We know we’ve been a little quiet, but we’ve been working on rolling out a new version of our e-newsletter that will give you the opportunity to better engage with the content we provide and will help deliver on the important work that Council is doing.
As always, I encourage feedback, and hope I can help in any way possible.
Sincerely,
|  | Trippi Congo
President, Wilmington City Council | |
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On May 18, 2023, Wilmington City Council gave final approval to the City’s proposed Fiscal Year General Fund 2024 budget, which can be read here. City Council reviewed the Mayor’s budget proposal which involved approximately 19 public hearings, during which time the Council heard from the departments that comprise the greatest percentage of the operating budget, as well as a few smaller departments. The process was led by the Chair of the Finance and Economic Development Committee, 7th District Council Member Chris Johnson. | | | |  | SHANÉ N. DARBY, 2nd District
A Resolution Urging School Districts and Department of Health to Take Remedial Action on Lead Contamination in School Water Sources. Adopted on 4/06/2023. To view the final document, visit the link here.
An Ordinance to Amend Chapter 5 of the City Code to Require Buyers of Residential Rental Property to Pay Business License Fees at Property Settlement. Passed on 4/20/2023. To view the final document, visit the link here.
| ZANTHIA OLIVER, 3rd District
A Resolution Approving a Lease of 1108, 1110, 1112, 1114, and 1116 East Twelfth Street and 1125 and 1127 Brandywine Street to the Delaware Center for Horticulture for a Community Garden. Adopted on 4/06/2023. To view the final document, visit the link here. | CHRIS JOHNSON, 7th District
A Resolution Requesting the State of Delaware to Either Increase the Maximum Size for Downtown Development Districts in Jurisdictions with Populations Over 30,000 to 375 Acres or Repeal the Requirement that Downtown Development Districts be Contiguous. Adopted on 4/06/2023. To view the final document, visit the link here.
A Resolution Encouraging the Delaware General Assembly to Support SB No. 2 to Better Regulate Firearms and Promote Responsible Gun Ownership. Adopted on 5/04/2023. To view the final document, visit the link here.
A Resolution Approving Mayor Purzycki’s Appointment of a Member to the Wilmington Ethics Commission. Adopted on 5/18/2023. To view the final document, visit the link here.
An Ordinance to Amend Chapter 45 of the City Code to Establish a Permanent Water Utility Assistance Program. Adopted on 5/18/2023. To view the final document, visit the link here. |
| MARIA D. CABRERA, At-Large A Resolution Authorizing the Mayor to File a Substantial Amendment to the City Fiscal Year 2020 Annual Action Plan Budget with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development to Outline the Proposed Use of CDBG-CV, HOPWA-CV, and ESG-CV Funds to Respond to the Ongoing COVID-19 Crisis. Adopted on 5/18/2023. To view the final document, visit the link here.
A Resolution Authorizing the Mayor to File the City Fiscal Year 2024 Annual Action Plan Budget with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Including Funding for the Community Development Block Grant Program, the HOME Improvement Investment Partnerships Program, the Emergency Solutions Grants Program, and the Housing Opportunities for Persons with AIDS Program. Adopted on 5/18/2023. To view the final document, visit the link here. | ALBERT “AL” MILLS, At-Large A Resolution Supporting the Submission to the State of Delaware of the City’s Proposed Amendment to Expand the Boundaries of its Downtown Development District. Adopted on 4/06/2023. To view the final document, visit the link here. | JAMES SPADOLA, At-Large A Resolution Encouraging the Delaware General Assembly to Support SB No. 67, An Act to Amend Title 11 of the Delaware Code Relating to Misconduct by Public Officials. Adopted on 5/18/2023. To view the final document, visit the link here. | |
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| | UPCOMING CITY COUNCIL MEETINGS |  | | | | Wilmington City Council Members have a new television program on the City's government access channel, WITN22, that highlights organizations, businesses, and individuals within their districts. The program is called Inside the District. To view the latest programs, click on the links below. |  | |  | | | | 2nd District
5/27/2023 - Grand Opening Ribbon Cutting Ceremony for Troisieme Cafe at 12 noon at 200 Concord Avenue in Wilmington, Delaware. To learn more, visit the link here.
6/1/2023 - 14th Annual Jasper Crane Rose Garden Party from 5:00 PM - 8:00 PM at 1001 N. Park Drive, Wilmington, DE. To learn more, visit the link here. | 4th District
5/27/2023 - FITLOT Outdoor Fitness Class from 7:30 a.m. - 8:30 a.m. at Herman M. Holloway, Sr. Park, at E. 7th Street and N. Lombard Street, Wilmington, Delaware. To learn more, visit the link here.
5/31/2023 - Downtown Farmers Market at Rodney Square from 10:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m. at 10th and N. Market Street in Wilmington, Delaware. To learn more, visit the link here.
6/2/2023 - Ladybug Music Festival Wilmington from 5:00 p.m. - 6:00 p.m. at the 400 and 500 Blocks of Market Street in Wilmington, Delaware. To learn more, visit the link here. |
| 5th District
5/27/2023 - Safe Haven Movie Day from 1:00 p.m. - 3:00 p.m. at William "Hicks" Anderson Community Center, 501 N. Madison Street, Wilmington, Delaware 19801. To learn more, visit the link here. | 8th District
5/30/2023 - Wilmington’s 2023 Memorial Day Parade and Observance. 156th consecutive observance of the traditional Memorial Day from 5:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m. The parade lines up at 5:15 p.m. and steps off at 6:00 p.m. on Delaware Avenue at Woodlawn Avenue. To learn more, visit the link here. |
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| | |  | 1st District Councilman Vincent M. White held a Town Hall meeting on May 10, 2023, for all residents of the first district. Wilmington Police Department’s newest Chief, Wilfredo Campos, and other city council members attended the Town Hall at Cornerstone Fellowship Baptist Church to listen to constituents’ concerns and to answer questions. To learn more, visit the link here. |  | On May 16, 2023, Councilman White started his walk from Wilmington to Dover to raise awareness and support the need for more affordable housing in Delaware. Councilman White started his 50-mile walk from the New Castle County Board of Realtors Headquarters and ended his journey at the Delaware Legislative Hall to speak about the importance of housing affordability. To learn more, visit the link here. |  | The Late Beatres R. Dunn was honored with a ceremonial triangle park naming dedication on March 26, 2023. 2nd District Council Member Shané Darby recognized the late Wilmingtonian by naming the Concord and Madison Triangle bounded by Concord Avenue, Madison Street, and 23rd Street, as the "Beatres R. Dunn Triangle," through an ordinance Councilwoman Darby sponsored (Ordinance 22-026) and city council passed on October 6, 2022. To learn more, visit the link here. |  | On May 16, 2023, 3rd District Council Member Zanthia Oliver teamed up with Reach Riverside and other City Council Members to provide $100 Gift Cards for Seniors residing at Herring Manor and King Plaza in Wilmington. To learn more, visit the link here. |  | Councilwoman Oliver held a Free Transportation Worker Identification Credential (TWIC) Card Reimbursement Pilot Program at the Delaware Department of Labor facility on North Market Street in Wilmington, Delaware. The event helped 30 individuals gain employment. Councilwoman Oliver partnered with Karryl Hubbard, Secretary of Labor for the State of Delaware, to reimburse individuals for the application fee, which is currently $125.25. To learn more, visit the link here. |  | Councilwoman Oliver held a “Resource Walk” event as a follow-up to the Guns Down press conference that was held on January 10, 2023. The Resource Walk addressed unmet social service and public health needs in our neighborhoods by giving residents and families direct access to resources that provide community outreach, support, and social services. To learn more, visit the link here. |  | 4th District Councilwoman Michelle Harlee had the opportunity to participate in a panel discussion to share empowering words with the youth of I Am My Sister's Keeper (IAMMSK) and Get a GRIP Teen Mentoring, Inc. To learn more, visit the link here. |  | On May 4, 2023, members of the Wilmington City Council participated in this year’s Youth In City Government Program. Sponsored by the Department of Parks & Recreation and the Division of Youth and Families, with collaboration from Mayor Mike Purzycki, Wilmington City Council, and various city Department Heads, the Youth In City Government Program works with local school districts to educate students on the democratic political process and the various roles they can play. To learn more, visit the link here. |  | On May 4, 2023, Lewis Dual Language Elementary School launched the Healthy Foods for Healthy Kids "Education Cultivation" school garden program at the Rodney Reservoir Community Garden in Wilmington, Delaware. 5th District Councilwoman Bregetta Fields and Councilman At-Large James Spadola joined local dignitaries, elected officials, students, staff, and community members in the school's first spring harvest and ribbon-cutting ceremony. To learn more, visit the link here. |  | Mayor Mike Purzycki proclaimed April 24 as “Bishop Aretha E. Morton Day” in Wilmington. The Mayor was joined at an afternoon Proclamation signing ceremony in Peter Spencer Square, 800 North French Street, that included Bishop Morton’s son, Dr. Donald Morton, Apostle Thomas Weeks of New Destiny Fellowship, 5th District Councilwoman Bregetta Fields, Janesta Ray, former assistant to Bishop Morton, assorted City officials family, friends, and members of the public. To learn more, visit the link here. |  | The ground-breaking ceremony for the brand new Heart of Hedgesville Townhomes was held on May 3, 2023, on South Jackson Street in Wilmington, Delaware. Brief remarks were given by John Wellons, of The Boys and Girls Club of Delaware, Yolanda McCoy, Councilwoman of Wilmington City Council's 6th District, and Donald Thompson, the Developer of The New Hedgesville Townhomes. The first Boys and Girls Club of Delaware (Jackson Street) was previously housed on the lot. A plaque will be included in the more than $1.9 million construction real estate project where six new townhomes are going to be built in place of the Jackson Street Boys and Girls Club. Councilwoman McCoy presented Thompson with a proclamation at the ceremony. To learn more, visit the link here. |  | 8th District Councilman Nathan Field kicked off a new neighborhood beautification project, the first of several planned for this spring and summer, aimed at promoting Wilmington – and the 8th District in particular – as the place to be in Delaware. The retaining wall on 14th Street in between the ACME and Kid Shelleens has been an eyesore for many years. Councilman Field aimed to turn it into an uplifting new visual attraction that gives people a new reason to enjoy a pleasant walk from their neighborhood to the ACME and the surrounding businesses of Trolley Square. The project will include a mural of an aerial view of a pond, filled with pretty birds, painted by Trolley Square resident Rachel van Wylen. To learn more, visit the link here. | | PRESIDENT CONGO’S 2023 FITNESS CHALLENGE The challenge will end on May 29, 2023 |
Our fitness challenge ends on May 29, 2023. Thanks to Avelo Airlines, President Congo will select two winners to receive a pair of round-trip tickets. For the last few days of the challenge, you can enter by following these simple steps below: For the full contest rules, visit the link here. | | | | |
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