Why Should Delaware Care?
The New Castle County Council approved a pair of bills Tuesday that will take $2.6 million from the county’s agricultural preservation fund, usually reserved for preserving and protecting county farmland, to pay for a slew of looming debts, including a large required IRS arbitrage payment, tree removal and rising healthcare costs for employees.
A move last week by the New Castle County Council to reallocate millions of dollars from an agricultural preservation fund to cover an emergency payment to the Internal Revenue Service and other unforeseen expenses drew the ire of some objecting council members.
The council passed a pair of bills last Tuesday to use $2.6 million from the county’s agricultural preservation capital project, a pot of money set aside to preserve county farmland through easements and property rights purchases, to cover an unexpected debt to the IRS that must be paid by Nov. 30. The money will also be used to pay for an uptick in tree maintenance needs — a response to recent spate of storms — as well as increased employee healthcare costs…