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Mar 17, 2023
When the City of Rehoboth Beach begins its new fiscal year April 1, it will do so with the city’s largest-ever budget, which includes more than $10 million in capital improvement projects. Commissioners adopted the city’s $35.7 million, balanced fiscal year 2024 budget at a meeting this afternoon. The 2024 budget is roughly 18.4% larger than the 2023 adopted budget and maintains current tax and utility rates.
Says Rehoboth Beach City Manager Laurence Christian: “We’re pleased that we were able to present for commissioners’ consideration a budget that is balanced, provides for many projects that will improve the quality of life and experience in Rehoboth, and requires no increase in taxes. This budget creates a dynamic to-do list for city staff, and we’re eager to get to it.”
The fiscal year 2024 general fund budget provides for several studies and planning efforts, including a $150,000 traffic and parking study to be conducted during the summer season, a compensation and classification study, and development of a stormwater management plan. The budget also allows for an update of the city’s website and implementation of community engagement software.
City staff will receive a 3% cost-of-living increase. The new budget provides for two new staff positions: an administrative assistant in the building and licensing department and administrative assistant to the city secretary. The city’s payroll administrator also will be reclassified as human resources and payroll manager.
The city’s 2024 capital improvement budget, which is almost $4 million more than last year’s budget, totals $10,316,800. The capital improvements plan provides for equipment, repairs, and new construction that enhance the value of city assets and services.
Among projects included in the 2024 capital budget are:
- design and phase-one construction of Baltimore Avenue restrooms/beach patrol headquarters ($2.4 million)
- annual repaving of city streets (Scarborough Avenue and Laurel Street) as well as paving of Rehoboth Avenue from 2nd Street to the bandstand in coordination with repaving of the rest of Rehoboth Avenue by DelDOT ($505,000)
- an LED retrofit of lights in the median of Rehoboth Avenue ($383,000 for phase one of three)
- a trash truck ($170,000)
- State Road pump station reconstruction ($2.5 million)
Other capital items include new equipment for the bandstand, continued inspection and cleaning of sanitary sewers, water main replacement on Laurel Street, security cameras, and fence replacement at Grove Park.
In putting together its annual budget, the city estimates revenues conservatively. Some of the revenue sources on which the city will be relying include:
- parking meter payments (via the ParkMobile app and credit card payments) –
$6 million
- parking permit sales - $1.25 million
- meter fines - $650,000
- metered sewer services - $2.83 million
- metered water services - $3.8 million (both in-town and out-of-town customers)
- transfer taxes - $1.2 million
The city’s fiscal year runs from April 1-March 31.
