Delaware

Judge rejects new attempt to stall upstate school tax bills pending Supreme Court debate

Published

2 months ago

November 4, 2025

Judge rejects new attempt to stall upstate school tax bills pending Supreme Court debate

A judge has rejected another motion to stall school tax bills in New Castle County tied to the recent property values reassessment.

The ruling issued Nov. 4 rejects the request by a coalition of local landlords and lodging businesses to further delay the issuance of new tax bills while they appeal a court ruling from the final week of October.

That ruling upheld school districts’ plans to charge different tax rates to residential versus non-residential properties for this taxing year. That coalition of business interests had sued the state, county and school districts, arguing so-called split rates are unconstitutional and that it would harm their businesses and by extension, their rent-paying tenants.

Last week, after expedited litigation ahead of the pending due date for taxes, Vice Chancellor Lori Will rejected the business coalitions’ legal claims. That set the county back on track to issue new, split-rate tax bills on behalf of school districts.

The ruling: Why a judge upheld lawmakers’ property tax reassessment relief law for homeowners

After the ruling, the coalition asked Will to again delay those bills while they appeal her ruling to the Delaware Supreme Court. Will’s latest ruling rejects that requested stay and leaves the county on track to issue new bills in the coming weeks.

Why the judge rejected the request

Will weighed four legal factors in assessing the plaintiffs’ request: the likelihood that their appeal would be successful, the potential of irreparable injury to the plaintiffs if they stay isn’t granted, whether other parties would be harmed absent a stay and whether the public interest would be harmed if they stay is granted.

The plaintiffs argued the new, split rates that shift greater tax burden on businesses would cause irreparable harm to their businesses, triggering accelerated loan repayments, diverting money from their operations and leading to the loss of business opportunities and potential foreclosures.

Will rejected this. She noted the Supreme Court is set to hear the appeal of the decision on a similarly expedited manner next week and that would be before the earliest possible issuance of new tax bills on Nov. 18.

She added that the potential harm cited is speculative.

Behind the upset: Why is Delaware’s angst over reassessment, tax changes so centered on New Castle County?

She did agree that the legal matters at hand are novel and present substantial legal questions, which she found favors a stay.

But regarding the harm to public interest and others if the stay was granted, Will noted a stay would just cause further confusion among taxpayers, and delayed bills are depriving the county and school districts of $549 million in revenue that translates into $8 million in investment income over a 60-day period.

“The public interest lies in resolving this uncertainty, not extending it,” Will wrote.

How Delaware got here and what’s next

This tax season is the first since a court-ordered reassessment of the property values that are married with local school, county and municipality taxing rates to calculate individuals’ bills.

In New Castle County, the reassessment of these property values − the first that’s been done for decades − shifted a greater portion of the overall tax burden onto residential properties, leading to higher-than-expected bills for those taxpayers.

Following outcry, state lawmakers convened a special session in August and passed a law to allow school districts to charge different, higher tax rates to non-residential properties to shift the overall tax burden back closer to the share of residential versus non-residential before the assessment. This would give homeowners a break on the tax bills that went out earlier this summer.

The issuance of those split-rate bills was delayed by the lodging-businesses’ lawsuit.

The rejection of the stay means that the county will move forward issuing split-rate tax bills, which Will’s order states will come no earlier than Nov. 18, and the Delaware Supreme Court will hear oral arguments on the plaintiffs’ appeal of her initial ruling on Nov. 10.

Recent: Senate lawmakers set to reconvene for special session on Nov. 6 after property tax ruling

Meanwhile, the Delaware General Assembly has called a special session for Nov. 6 in which they will consider extending the deadline for payment of taxes given this year’s chaotic tax season.”

Contact Xerxes Wilson at (302) 324-2787 or xwilson@delawareonline.com.

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Delaware

Delaware County’s 250th events aim to boost local economy

Published

11 hours ago

January 10, 2026

Press Room

Delaware County’s 250th events aim to boost local economy

DELAWARE COUNTY – Delaware County is gearing up for a year-long celebration of the United States’ 250th anniversary, bringing together community partners for a series of events and programs.

Delaware County’s plans for the semiquincentennial

The Delaware County America 250 Commission hosted a “We the People” party to unveil plans for the upcoming celebrations.

The events aim to educate and connect the local community while drawing visitors from outside Philadelphia to explore the area’s rich history.

What they’re saying:

“Delaware County is not just watching from the sidelines, we are proud to be an essential part of a massive regional and national celebration,” said Christine Reuther, Delaware County Council Vice Chair.

Andrea Silva, director of the Delaware County America 250 Commission, highlighted the diverse themes that will be showcased throughout the year.

Celebrating 250 years of history

The backstory:

Friday’s event celebrated Delaware County’s 250-year history, with different tables reflecting various themes.

Attendees included Colonial Farmstead, Penn’s Woods Winery, and Pathways to Freedom.

The programming will feature over 100 events, including the Battle for Independence: Amazing Race to Brandywine and the Irish America 250 Kick Off on Jan. 14.

The celebrations are expected to leave a lasting legacy, with hopes of boosting the local economy.

“We want to see real economic impact for our local businesses as visitors from around the world come to shop on our main streets and stay in our towns and eat in our restaurants,” said Reuther.

What’s next:

This year’s county event specifics can be found here.

The Source: Information from the Delaware County America 250 Commission.

America 250Delaware County

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Delaware

Wilmington’s first homicide of 2026 claims life of 19-year-old

Published

23 hours ago

January 9, 2026

Press Room

Wilmington’s first homicide of 2026 claims life of 19-year-old

A 19-year-old man was shot dead in Wilmington’s Southbridge neighborhood in the early hours of Jan. 9, police said.

Wilmington officers arriving to the 200 block of S. Claymont St. about 3:30 a.m. found the teen there.

The teen, whom police have not named, was pronounced dead at the scene.

Anyone with information about this shooting should contact Wilmington Police Detective Derek Haines at (302) 576-3656. People can also provide information to Delaware Crime Stoppers at (800) TIP-3333 or delawarecrimestoppers.com.

Violence by the numbers

This is the first homicide reported this year in Delaware, which last year saw a slight drop in all violent killings.

Delaware police reported 52 people being killed in violent crimes in 2025, a drop of nearly 12% when compared with 59 people killed in 2024, according to a Delaware Online/The News Journal database.

While the number of people killed in homicides statewide is down, the number of people killed by gunfire in Delaware was up in 2025 for the third year in a row.

According to the Delaware Online database, 47 were shot dead in Delaware last year. That was one more victim (46) than in 2024, three more (44) than in 2023 and nine more (38) than in 2022.

Despite the increase in gun-related deaths, there were fewer people shot last year in Delaware for the second year in a row.

Police reported 164 people being shot last year in Delaware. The previous year saw 195 people shot and police reported 210 people being shot in 2023.

This was the fewest people shot in Delaware since 2018, when police reported 146 people being shot statewide.

Send tips or story ideas to Esteban Parra at (302) 324-2299 or eparra@delawareonline.com.

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Delaware

MERR responds to dead humpback whale washed up near Bethany Beach

Published

1 day ago

January 9, 2026

Press Room

MERR responds to dead humpback whale washed up near Bethany Beach

A dead humpback whale washed up near Bethany Beach on Jan. 8, according to the nonprofit Marine Education Research and Rehabilitation Institute.

The juvenile male was first seen Jan. 6, floating at sea about 2 miles off the Indian River Inlet, a MERR Facebook post said. The bloated 30-foot whale ultimately beached near a private community in the early afternoon of Jan. 8, the post said.

MERR is attempting to coordinate with the Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control to get equipment to move the whale out of the water and onto the beach to perform a necropsy, the post said. Right now, there isn’t enough information to determine a cause of death.

Delaware saw at least three dead whales last year, in the Indian River Bay, at Delaware Seashore State Park and at Pigeon Point. The first two were humpbacks, while the Pigeon Point whale was a fin whale.

A necropsy on the Delaware Seashore whale found blunt force trauma across its back, indicating it may have been struck by a ship, MERR Director Suzanne Thurman said.

Recently, on Jan. 4, a dead fin whale was found on the bow of a ship at the Gloucester Marine Terminal in New Jersey, which is located in the Port of Philadelphia on the Delaware River.

Shannon Marvel McNaught reports on southern Delaware and beyond. Reach her at smcnaught@gannett.com or on Facebook.

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