Senate Bill 105, introduced in the 152nd General Assembly, aims to amend the Charter of the Town of Selbyville to allow the town to impose impact fees that would contribute to the costs of operations for volunteer fire companies, ambulance companies, public libraries, or police departments serving the town.
The primary sponsor of the bill is Senator Hocker, with additional sponsorship from Representative Collins. The legislation, introduced on May 3, 2023, has recently made progress and is currently out of committee as of June 13, 2023. It is now placed on the Ready List, awaiting further action.
The proposed amendments would provide the Town of Selbyville with the authority to implement impact fees on new development or construction projects, as well as on the first-time occupancy of new constructions. These impact fees would be reasonably calculated to recover the costs associated with installing, enlarging, improving, or expanding public or municipal improvements that have a rational nexus to the new construction the bill reads. Additionally, the fees would contribute to the costs of operations for volunteer fire companies, ambulance companies, public libraries, or police departments providing services within the town.
It is worth noting that the passage of this bill requires a greater than majority vote. According to Section 1 of Article IX of the Delaware Constitution, a charter issued to a municipal corporation can only be amended with the affirmative vote of two-thirds of the members elected to each house of the General Assembly. This requirement emphasizes the significance of the proposed amendments and highlights the need for broad support among legislators.