Kent and Sussex counties say transparency was key
Kent County Administrator Kevin Sipple said they re-evaluated challenged data and made adjustments as needed. The county also expanded public outreach through townhalls, mailers, a website and phone services.
“Transparency was not a slogan,” he said. “It was a continuous commitment during this entire process, through our staff, the results.”
“It’s clear that transparency and consistent communication were priorities for Kent and Sussex counties throughout their reassessment processes,” said Rep. Kim Williams, D-Stanton.
“Unfortunately, New Castle County skipped this step and did not engage with stakeholders such as New Castle County legislators, school districts and, most importantly, our constituents,” she said.
The first legislative hearing last week focused on New Castle County’s decision to send out tentative assessed value notices in November 2024 instead of during the summer. State lawmakers questioned why New Castle did not send out tentative property value notices until mid-November 2024. Now-Gov. Matt Meyer, the previous county executive, was running for governor in last year’s election.
Henry, the New Castle County Executive, said it was his team’s understanding that the county’s assessment staff recommended several times that tentative value notices go out in the summer of 2024, but Meyer’s administration said no to those recommendations.
“Instead, the assessment office was advised that tentative value notices couldn’t go out until mid-November,” he said. “Accordingly, in mid-November 2024, Tyler mailed those notices of tentative value to property owners.”
But Sussex County officials also sent out notices in mid-November 2024. They said at Tuesday’s hearing that they were on the same timeline as New Castle and had similar types of properties.
“We signed the contract in 2021,” Sussex County Finance Director Gina Jennings said. “That date was always November. Obviously, we got a year extension, but when we extended, it was still November of 2024.”
The Lincoln Institute of Land Policy suggested several options lawmakers could use to provide property tax relief, including homestead exemptions, property tax deferrals and assessment caps.
This story was supported by a statehouse coverage grant from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.
