Dewey Town Council discusses FY 2026 draft budget
Dewey Beach Town Council held a budget workshop with Mayor Bill Stevens, accounting and HR manager Sheena Hall and town staff to review and discuss the draft budget for Fiscal Year 2026.
The conversations were centered around how to make up a $319,000 deficit to balance the current draft of the budget.
“I see us heading toward a wall as a town,” said Commissioner David Jasinski. “We need to be frank with ourselves [about] what we can afford to do.”
Instead of trying to make up for this sum of money by, say, raising parking fees by a dollar, or raising licensing fees by X amount, Jasinski said, he believes the town should focus on addressing some of the bigger, more complex budget items, like its employee benefits.
Currently, the town provides 100% employee and family healthcare benefits.
“When you see a department where you’ve only got one or two [employees], and you see a benefits cost, suddenly the [amount] of money we’re spending really becomes clear [and] hits hard,” Jasinski said. “It’s an elephant in the room that no one really wants to talk about, but we’ve really got to think in terms of competitiveness and whether this is sustainable for us to do it.”
However, Town Manager Bill Zolper said significantly changing benefits will lead to a loss in employees. While Dewey’s wages might be less than those of neighboring towns, its competitive benefits help balance the equation.
“We need to figure out what’s best for the employee and for the town and have a balance there,” Stevens said.
Dewey Beach Patrol Capt. Todd Fritchman, Police Chief Constance Speake, maintenance supervisor Scott Chieffo and parking enforcement supervisor Tammy Horn attended the workshop to outline their respective departmental needs.
During the discussion about potential ways to cut the town’s expenses, Commissioner Paul Bauer reiterated the importance of transparency with the Dewey community.
“As long as the public knows what we’re doing,” Bauer said. “I don’t want to do it behind anybody’s back.”
Some of the options the group discussed were raising the price of daily parking passes from $30 to $60, raising the parking meter rate from $3.50 per hour to $4 per hour, and changing the rental license fee structure.
No action was taken, nor were any official decisions made.
Hall said she will be providing a revised draft operating budget at the next town council meeting, which is set for 3 p.m., Friday, Jan. 31, at the Dewey Beach Lifesaving Station.
