Sussex County adopts $300 million budget for Fiscal 2027

Georgetown, Del., June 16, 2026: The ink is dry on Sussex County's 2027 budget.

County Council, following a public hearing Tuesday, June 16, 2026, voted to approve the proposed $300 million budget for the 2027 fiscal year that begins July 1. Under Delaware law, Sussex County must adopt a balanced budget by June 30 each year.

The adopted budget keeps the County's property tax rate unchanged, at 2.14 cents per $100 of assessed value, set last year following Delaware's court-ordered reassessment project. While the spending plan remains consistent in terms of funding familiar local government services, the adopted budget takes on new, unprecedented roles and initiatives for County government in the year ahead, including the creation of a first-ever building permit surcharge for the independent public school districts, as well as a centralized billing and ambulance purchase cost share program for local fire and EMS companies.

"While this budget makes significant new investments in fire service and education, it does so without abandoning our long-standing commitment to responsible, efficient government," County Administrator Todd F. Lawson said. "We're focusing resources where the community needs them most."

The overall budget is up nearly $15 million, or 5.2 percent, over the current year, fueled largely by capital expenses for public wastewater improvements; the general fund portion of the budget that pays for day-to-day operations, meantime, is rising just $4 million, or 3.6 percent.

The budget is supported by a mix of income streams, including property taxes, realty transfer taxes, sewer service fees, building permit fees, and document recording fees, some of which are increasing in next year's budget, including for sewer and water services, as well as new and adjusted fees for the Geographic Information, Engineering, and Planning & Zoning offices. That revenue, in turn, funds a wealth of local services, including paramedics and 911 dispatchers, public wastewater treatment, building inspection, and public libraries, among other services.

Among the highlights in the now-adopted FY2027 budget, the plan includes $74.6 million for wastewater infrastructure, including expansion of two treatment plants, new service areas, increased capacity, and other upgrades to the County utility systems; $7.6 million for local fire companies and ambulance squads to help with operational costs, including paid EMT salaries, as well as an additional $1.6 million for a centralized ambulance billing and unit purchase cost-share plan to aid basic life support (BLS) services; $7.4 million to purchase open space and farmland, preserving it for the future; up to $7 million, depending on market activity, in new funding as a result of a new $5 per $1,000 construction value surcharge on most building permits that will be directed to local school districts for capacity-related capital needs; increased funding, from $5.8 million to $6.1 million, for the County's contract with the State of Delaware for supplemental state police troopers assigned to Sussex County; $1.25 million for affordable housing initiatives, including rehabilitation for low-income households, as well as homebuying settlement assistance; and $1 million for municipalities providing local law enforcement services. There is also funding, totaling $3.4 million, for new paramedic stations in the Dewey Beach, Lincoln, and Milton areas.

County Finance Director Gina A. Jennings said the budget, in spite of continually increasing demands on services, and subsequent rising costs, is a reflection of balanced spending with sound fiscal management, a mainstay of County government finances over the years.

Council President Doug Hudson applauded the budget team for helping County Council tackle issues, like emergency services and public education, that are priorities for constituents.

"The public wants to see their tax dollars hard at work and producing results," President Hudson said. "This budget does that. It funds the services people have come to depend on and expect, while also looking forward to meet the needs of future generations."

Copies of the Fiscal Year 2027 budget, as well as the accompanying budget presentation, can be downloaded from the County website at www.sussexcountyde.gov/county-budget.

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