I contact you with disappointment after reading the article in the March 27 edition of the Cape Gazette about a recent City of Lewes budget meeting, one in which funding for the local fire department was at issue.
Sadly, the report contained some glaring inaccuracies as it pertains to funding the county has provided the Lewes Fire Department recently and in years past. It is unfortunate, especially at a moment in history when conjecture and confusion have made it difficult to separate fact from fiction, that some information presented in that meeting and reported by the newspaper was misleading at best.
As the District 3 councilman, I believe it is necessary for the county to clarify the record so the citizens we serve have a more complete understanding of how their dollars are being appropriated to keep them and their loved ones safe.
In the current year’s budget, Sussex County Council is estimated to grant $448,000 directly to the Lewes Fire Department. Contrary to the article, the grant-in-aid funding has increased, countywide, by 64 percent in the last 10 years (2009-19). For Lewes alone, the fire department has seen a 151 percent increase in county funds during that same time period.
Much of that additional funding was realized through what is known as the “building permit fire enhancement fee,” a revenue-sharing mechanism developed in 1999 between the county and the Sussex County Volunteer Firefighters Association. Under that program, one-quarter of 1 percent of construction value is added to each building permit issued by the county.
Funding is then equally distributed to all fire and ambulance companies across Sussex, up to $950,000, with any additional revenue being allocated based on where permits were located. The Lewes Fire Department has certainly been among the largest beneficiaries of a substantial increase in county funding over the years, despite claims otherwise.
Sussex County takes great pride in its continual financial support of public safety in our county through direct funding to the 22 fire companies and two independent ambulance companies. The county provided $5 million in the last completed fiscal year for fire and ambulance support.
Combining that with the money that goes toward the Delaware State Police, county paramedics, and county 911 dispatchers, public safety funding totals $29 million this year. On the whole, public safety accounts for 36 percent of the county’s annual operating budget.
Since 2009, the county has contributed over $40 million to the fire and ambulance service. We work closely with the Sussex County volunteer fire service on how to best distribute these funds among the network of fire companies that serve the county as a whole.
What I am hopeful for is that all of us, as public servants, can talk through and resolve any issues, rather than resorting to misleading information and false statements that serve only to unnecessarily alarm the public and erode their confidence in the people and programs that benefit them.
Thank you for the opportunity to clear the record and provide accurate information.
Irwin G. Burton III
Sussex County Council District 3
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