Lewes financial panel seeks to revise budget process

The new chair of the Lewes Finance Committee is proposing a restructuring of the city’s budget process.

Councilwoman Amy Marasco’s goal is three-fold: Create a smoother process for the city to consider funding requests from nonprofits, develop permanent revenue streams to provide that funding, and get more citizens involved in the process.

“Everything is on the table,” Marasco said. She chaired her first finance committee meeting July 16.

Marasco is proposing the city switch from an annual to a multi-year budget cycle. She is proposing a subcommittee to look at all revenue sources allowable in Delaware and all the needs.

“The purpose is to bring some structure and order to long-tern financial planning,” she said. “I would love to have a nonprofit process, for example, so all the nonprofits that come to the trough for some planning money all apply at the same time with a template.”

Marasco said she hopes the subcommittee would start just after Labor Day and wrap up by early next year, before the budget process begins for fiscal year 2026.

She also wants to expand the finance committee’s meeting schedule from quarterly to every two weeks.

This year, mayor and city council received, at different times, funding requests from the Lewes Public Library, Lewes in Bloom and the Fourth Street Preserve Open Space Alliance Campaign.

The biggest ask came from the Lewes Fire Department.

It wants the city to significantly increase its contribution from $75,000 per year to $600,000 annually. Fire department officials said that number is based on the fact that 16% of its fire and ambulance calls each year are in city limits.

President Richard Bunting and Treasurer Bryan Pepper made a presentation to the committee at its July 16 meeting.

Pepper said for the first six months of this year, fire calls are up 20%, while ambulance calls are up 10%. Lewes is the fifth-busiest fire department in the state.

He said the department is facing a funding and staffing crisis.

“The volunteers are dwindling. They’re all getting older, and younger people can’t afford to live in our fire district anymore,” Pepper said.

Bunting said Sussex County has recently made a financial commitment to the department in its 10-year plan. He said he did not have any numbers because details are still being worked out.

“The county council’s position has been, for many years, that they divide the money equally among all the fire departments in the county. It doesn’t matter if you run 100 alarms a year or 7,000 alarms,” Pepper said.

Marasco said she wants to approach Sussex County leaders about increasing their contribution to Lewes firefighters.

“I don’t think it’s an easy hurdle, but the numbers are obvious, and it seems quite unfair to [the department] and the city,” she said. 

The Lewes Parks and Recreation Commission has begun discussing its own strategic short- and long-term budget planning.

Marasco urged every city committee and commission to follow its lead.

She said former finance committee chair, Councilwoman Carolyn Jones, created sound budget practices, but it is time to move forward. 

“This is the next level of maturity for a community. We continue to grow, and that’s not stopping,” Marasco said.