Taxes, fees ‘on the table’ as Lewes changes budget process

The City of Lewes is giving money away. It’s fake money, for now.

But, city financial planners say what they learn at an upcoming budget workshop will go a long way to determining how they spend real taxpayer dollars.

Lewes City Manager Ellen Lorraine McCabe said when it comes to revenue streams, everything is on the table, including raising taxes and fees.

The funny money will be distributed at the workshop hosted by the city’s financial stewardship subcommittee.

It will be held in two sessions, 1 to 3:30 p.m. and 5 to 7:30 p.m., Thursday, Nov. 21, at the Rollins Center. The sessions will be identical.

“The goal is to receive input from our residents that will lead us to create a multi-year budget and a documented capital improvement plan,” McCabe said.

The workshop will have stations where people can learn about different parts of the city budget, infrastructure projects and more.

McCabe will then present revenue buckets or funding options. Residents can vote via the funny money.

“We give them ‘Lewes money,’ like Monopoly money,” said Councilperson Amy Marasco, who co-chairs the subcommittee with Councilman Joe Elder. “They’ll put it in the buckets where they want us to look at those revenue sources.”

McCabe and Marasco want everyone to know that Lewes is financially on solid ground, with money in its reserves.

The subcommittee was formed earlier this year to guide the city’s transition from an annual to a three- to five-year budget cycle.

The panel’s nine members are looking at all options for finding new or enhanced revenue streams to fund everything from capital projects to requests from nonprofits. 

“This allows mayor and council to see that if you repair this road, anticipate in five years you might need to mill and overlay again,” Marasco said.

McCabe and Marasco called it a cultural change and a process change that will take a couple of years to complete.

“This whole process was born out of creating a strategic financial plan going forward, so we can identify projects that are coming, some significant, and start setting aside reserves now for those future needs,” McCabe said.

For more information, go to ci.lewes.de.us.