Between the hustle of Wilmington and bustle of Rehoboth Beach lies a force to be reckoned with—Kent County Levy Court. And it is making big strides in maximizing recreational, environmental and civic resources in the capital region.
Not a court of law, as the name might imply, or a body formed only for the levying of taxes, Levy Court may seem like a bit of a mystery to some. In actuality, it is the county council for Kent. It is comprised of seven members—six commissioners elected by residents, and a commissioner at-large elected by the district—and five departments: finance, public works, community services, public safety and planning services.
And it is more dynamic than ever.
Levy Court was established in 1655, when the Delaware General Assembly, then under Dutch control, enacted legislation that called for taxes to be levied on all landowners in Delaware. By 1793 the duties had grown to include property assessment, real estate transfers and granting land applications.
Fast forward 300 years or so. Responsibilities now include appointing assessors and establishing assessment fees, maintaining public works, and providing library and ambulance services, in addition to helping fund local service organizations.
Levy Court operates like any other governmental body in Delaware. It is, however, the enhanced scope and depth of those duties during the past few years that have allowed the council to make a deeper impact on Kent County.
According to county administrator Michael Petit de Mange, the real estate market of the early 2000s helped the county flourish. “The housing market was still on the rise in central Delaware, and that enabled new buyers to seek out Kent County as options,” Petit de Mange says. “The completion of Route 1 opened up this area to commuters who were used to traveling to employment centers farther north of Kent County, which also made this area a great option for buyers. For people outside of Delaware, they found that Kent County offered a lower cost of living, lower taxes, a small-town kind of feel, and a comfortable retirement option—all of this spurring new growth for our community.”
With Delaware State University, Delaware Technical and Community College, a Wilmington University campus and Wesley College all in Dover, the area has become a prime location for families and students.
With an increased population came increased demands. Levy Court sprung into action. It started by restricting the county’s development projects.
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“About five years ago they were sort of running rampant because we had no basic system of checks and balances,” says Levy Court president Brooks Banta. “Development was going on and on, with no regard for adequate public facilities, roads, schools, water supply and so on.”
To counter the problem, Levy Court enacted an adequate public facility ordinance in 2006 that ensured a two-fold effect: Land development projects could be approved only if the developer provided proper infrastructure such as roads, bridges and sidewalks, and only if a portion of money earned through the project was given to local education, emergency and health services.
“When you move here, you are guaranteed that your schools, roads, police and fire resources will be excellent,” Banta says. “That is one of the greatest achievements of Levy Court.”
The county’s new water treatment system is also something to boast of, and with good reason. The Kent County Regional Wastewater Treatment Facility is one of the best in the nation. It is recognized for its safety, efficiency and effectiveness—and for something called kentorganite.
Kentorganite is a byproduct of wastewater treatment. During water purification, solids are drawn out from waste products, treated, then transformed into an organic fertilizer, which is used to nourish crops on local farms. “In the last seven years or so, this has been one of our proudest accomplishments,” says Banta. “Plain and simple, everyone benefits from it.”
Impressive as accomplishments such as controlled development and state-of-the-art wastewater management may be, Levy Court isn’t about to rest on its laurels. One of the biggest plans is yet to come.
Soccer moms and all-star athletes alike will soon rejoice in the planned 85-acre sports complex to be built in Frederica, and the economic benefits are sure to make a huge impact. The complex will feature more than 10 fields suited for soccer, lacrosse, field hockey and more, with hopes of attracting world-class tournaments and championship athletics.
“This is something the state tourism offices have been looking at for a while now,” says Petit de Mange. “They were experiencing requests for regional and national events that could not be accommodated in Delaware. Even in the early stages, the indication is that the benefits are pretty impressive in terms of money being brought into the county when you host an athletic tournament. You have people coming into your hotels, into your restaurants and into your stores constantly.”
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Similarly, an expansion of aircraft and travel resources is planned. Allegiant Travel Company has asked the Kent County Economic Partnership to let it provide commercial air travel to central Florida—home to Orlando’s Disney World—via the Dover Civil Air Terminal.
“If we can generate interest in making improvements to the terminal, which is already underutilized and supported by taxpayers’ dollars, it’s going to mean a much bigger payback for us,” says Daniel Wolfensberger, CEO of Kent County Economic Partnership. “Allegiant will spend hundreds of thousands on marketing services, airline crews would stay in Dover hotels and spend money in the community, and the facility would be utilized to its fullest potential.”
As Wolfensberger notes, though, it’s not the council or economic agency luring Allegiant in. The ball is in Kent’s court now. It’s a tall order and will take time to develop, but if Wolfensberger had his way, “We’d have started it yesterday.”
