2026-09-28 - Regular City Council

00:00Elder Ellis B. Loudon, to provide us with the invocation.

00:05Reverend Loudon.

00:12May we share together all four of faith that were not strayed,

00:23pressed by every foe, that were not faltered on the brink of any earthly world.

00:36Gracious God, we are thankful today for the measure of faith,

00:45for the gift that you have given us in this life that we possess.

00:55We know that faith varies in so many ways.

01:00But we thank you, O God, that as creator, we are also sustainer of the universe.

01:13That you did not make the universe and then go your own way,

01:20but you are involved in the very heart and the mechanism of our universe

01:26in the very heart and mechanism of our lives.

01:31And so we thank you.

01:35Lord, there is such a laundry list, a laundry list of issues

01:45that face us as the human family in our world, our nation, our state,

02:02and here in Greater Dover.

02:07God, we cry out to you.

02:11We need you.

02:16We need you to remind us that people are more important than money.

02:22But greed is not the answer.

02:27Every day to consider what will truly enhance the life of all people.

02:36Because when we enhance the life, even of those who are homeless,

02:42we enhance our own lives.

02:47And so, O God, as we consider all of the issues before us,

02:53that was as we claim to be the richest nation on the face of the earth.

03:02But yet we have more problems that you could shake a stick at.

03:10And so, O God, we continually pray for your wisdom, your guidance,

03:19your help, your inspiration.

03:24Open up our hearts and binds, our very soul,

03:31that we may serve you in such a way and serve one another

03:38to the glory of your day.

03:41But bind us always that we are challenged to love you

03:49with all of our hearts, with all of our binds,

03:55and with all of our soul.

03:58And the Lord Jesus did not stop there.

04:01But he said, "The next commandment is like it.

04:06You shall love your neighbor as yourself."

04:12On these commandments and all the law and the prophets.

04:21Bless us now.

04:23Continue to be with us in our getting up, our sitting down,

04:26our going out, and our coming in from this time forth

04:31and even forevermore.

04:33Amen.

04:34I mean, the pledge to the nation's flag will be led by Councilman Dr. Sudler.

04:42As it leads us to the flag of the United States of America

04:47and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under God,

04:52indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.

05:04You now have before you this evening's agenda,

05:09and I entertain a motion for its adoption.

05:12Sudler moves to adopt the agenda as presented.

05:15O'Grady seconds.

05:16It's been moved and seconded. Any discussion?

05:19All in favor, please say aye.

05:22Aye.

05:22Any opposed?

05:23Hearing none, passed unanimously.

05:26The consent agenda.

05:28Before us, the consent agenda, those items on the council agenda,

05:33which are considered routine and non-controversial,

05:37and will be acted upon by a single roll call vote of the council.

05:42There will be no separate discussion of these items,

05:45unless a member of council so requests.

05:48In which event the matter shall be removed from the consent agenda

05:52and considered as a separate item.

05:55What is the pleasure of council?

05:56Councilman Anderson.

05:59Thank you, Mr. President.

06:01Due to the advice of our solicitor,

06:05I would like to pull item 19 from the consent agenda.

06:12Second by Sudler.

06:13It's been moved and seconded.

06:16All in favor, any discussion?

06:19All in favor, please say aye.

06:21Aye.

06:22Aye.

06:24It passes unanimously.

06:27Now for the consent agenda, Madam Clerk,

06:30will you please roll the call for the amended consent agenda?

06:37Councilman Anderson.

06:39Thank you, Mr. President.

06:40And that's what I'm about to move.

06:42I move that the adoption of the consent agenda is amended.

06:48All second.

06:48Madam Clerk, now can we have a roll call vote?

07:00Ms. Hall.

07:00Yes.

07:02Mr. Bogarty.

07:03Yes.

07:05Mr. Anderson.

07:06Yes.

07:07Dr. Pillsbury.

07:09Yes.

07:10Mrs. Aren't.

07:11Yes.

07:12Mr. Rocha.

07:13Yes.

07:16Dr. Sudler.

07:17Yes.

07:18Mr. Lewis.

07:20Yes.

07:22Council President Neill.

07:24Yes.

07:27The agenda was approved unanimously.

07:33We now have proclamations.

07:35And first, Cyber Security Awareness Month.

07:38I invite Mayor Christensen, Joe Simmons of the IT Department

07:43to the podium, the presentation, and request the city clerk

07:47to read the proclamation into the record.

07:56Hey, Joe.

07:56What do you know?

07:57Do you know Adam Hart?

08:02Proclamation.

08:03Whereas Cyber Security Awareness Month

08:06highlights the importance of education

08:08for citizens and businesses in Delaware.

08:11With our current physical world intertwined

08:13with the digital world, basic cyber awareness

08:16is no longer an option to fight off bad actors.

08:20The disruption of access to financial, utility,

08:23or consumer services is no longer simply an inconvenience,

08:27but a risk for an individual's privacy

08:29to be exposed and identity stolen.

08:32As the city of Dover, we must all

08:34be vigilant to protect our own and each other's

08:37digital information.

08:39And whereas the National Cyber Security Alliance's

08:422026 Cyber Security Awareness Month theme

08:46is Stay Safe Online, coupled with the overarching concept

08:51to make life difficult for cyber criminals

08:54by not making it easy for them.

08:57And whereas, even amidst large-scale data breaches

09:00and cyber attacks, Cyber Security Awareness Month

09:03reminds everyone that there are simple, effective ways

09:07to keep yourself safe online, protect your personal data,

09:11and ultimately help secure our world.

09:14And whereas, the National Cyber Security Alliance

09:16and Cyber Security and Infrastructure Security Agency

09:21lead the campaign and creates resources for organizations

09:25to talk to their employees and customers

09:27about staying safe online.

09:29And whereas, Delaware's Did You Know campaign

09:31is aimed at increasing the understanding of cyber threats

09:35and empowering the public to be safer and more secure online,

09:40awareness of computer-safe security essentials

09:43will improve the security of the City of Dover's

09:45information, infrastructure, and economy.

09:48Now, therefore, I, Robin R. Christensen,

09:51Mayor of the City of Dover, Delaware,

09:53do hereby proclaim October 2026

09:57as Cyber Security Awareness Month in the City of Dover

10:00and urge all citizens to learn about cyber security

10:04and put knowledge into practice.

10:07- Thank you, Madam Clerk.

10:08Thank you, Mr. President.

10:10Mr. Simmons, on behalf of myself,

10:12members of the City Council, and the citizens of the City

10:14of Dover, you serve.

10:16It's my pleasure to present you with this proclamation.

10:20And our official photographer's not here, so I apologize.

10:24Okay, Joe, and you get the puffy cover,

10:26so you get to say something.

10:28- 'Cause I even take a picture of it here.

10:35- For all the money you get,

10:36you should be able to take a picture.

10:50- Thank you.

10:51Thank you.

10:54First, on behalf of the Dover IT Department,

10:58I'd like to thank the City Council,

11:01City Manager, Seren Duka, for your guys' support.

11:05And our goal and mission here is to protect the city

11:09as far as cyber threats.

11:12I would like to come before you tonight

11:14and say that something that we are seeing less of,

11:20but we're seeing more.

11:22And with the advent of AI

11:25and more advanced technology tools,

11:28the third actors are getting more resilient

11:33and more aggressive, so we have to keep our guard up.

11:38But I just wanna make a couple of comments

11:40about Cybersecurity Month.

11:41It's not only for the City of Dover, for our residents.

11:45Every time that somebody gets their identity stolen,

11:50whether it be credit card theft,

11:52whether it be theft of property,

11:58or even now you have deed and property theft

12:03through creation.

12:05So we all have the key feeling.

12:08And there's a cost around cybersecurity.

12:12People think that it's a crime-less or a victimless crime,

12:16or really nobody turn over the insurance company

12:19or take the loss, but it costs the taxpayers money,

12:23it costs the city money.

12:24And things that we can do is really be vigilant

12:29as far as if you see something wrong, again,

12:32bring it to our attention from the City of Dover,

12:34we will definitely have our partners

12:36with whether there's state DTI,

12:38we have the CISA, which is the National Cyber Incident

12:42Command, that we can bring resources in and we can help.

12:46Again, it's a tough job, but we just gotta stay diligent.

12:52And again, thank you for support in everything we do.

12:56And Cybersecurity Month, you will see,

12:58we have employee training coming up.

13:01We're gonna put different things out on our website

13:03and different notices that we have

13:05to kind of really drive it home.

13:07So again, thank you for all your support.

13:16- Mayor Christensen, I invite you and Fire Chief David Carey

13:21and Jason Osiko to the podium, the presentation

13:24and request that the City Clerk read the proclamation

13:28into the record for File Prevention Week.

13:38- Madam Clerk.

13:42- Fire is a serious public safety concern,

13:45both locally and nationally, and homes are the locations

13:49where people are at greatest risk from fire.

13:52And whereas an estimated 190,000 structural lithium

13:57ion battery fires have occurred in the U.S. since 2011,

14:03according to a multi-source plan

14:06that the city of Dover is committed to.

14:09And so, the city of Dover is committed to ensuring

14:12according to a multi-source data analysis

14:15by the National Institute of Standards and Technology.

14:18In 2024, there were 104 fatalities

14:21and 586 reported injuries due to lithium ion batteries.

14:26And whereas city of Dover residents

14:28should choose certified products,

14:30handle batteries carefully, watch for warning signs

14:33and store lithium ion batteries properly

14:36so that you can protect yourself,

14:38your family and your community.

14:41Whereas first responders are dedicated

14:43to reducing the occurrence of home fires

14:46and home fire injuries through prevention

14:48and protection education.

14:50Residents are responsive to public education measures

14:54and can take personal steps to increase their safety

14:57from fire, especially in their homes.

15:00The 2026 Fire Prevention Week theme,

15:03Charge into Fire Safety, Safe Charging as a Superpower

15:07focuses on the everyday charging habits

15:09that can help reduce the risk of lithium ion battery fires

15:13and keep homes and communities safer.

15:16Now, therefore, I, Robin R. Christensen,

15:18Mayor of the city of Dover, Delaware,

15:20do hereby proclaim October 4th through 10th, 2026

15:25as Fire Prevention Week in the city of Dover

15:27and urge residents to support

15:29the many public safety activities and efforts

15:32of Dover's fire and emergency services.

15:35- Thank you, Madam Clerk.

15:36Thank you, Mr. President.

15:38Chief Kerry, past Chief Vaseca,

15:40it's a pleasure and honor on behalf of the members

15:43of the City Council and the citizens of the city of Dover

15:45that we serve to present you

15:47with this annual Fire Prevention Proclamation.

15:50I wish you well in your efforts to not only combat fires,

15:55but to prevent them in the city of Dover.

15:58So, Chief will recognize you first

15:59and then we'll recognize past Chief Vaseca.

16:04- First, I'm David Kerry,

16:05the Fire Chief of the Dover Fire Department.

16:07Thank you for, Mayor and Council,

16:08for recognizing the Fire Department

16:10and their efforts during fire prevention,

16:12during the fire prevention week in October.

16:14Last year, we reached out to over 5,000 children

16:17throughout the city of Dover

16:18with the Capital School District

16:19and the other various schools throughout the city

16:22and day cares.

16:27As the population says, it's charging to safety.

16:31Lithium batteries are very unpredictable at times

16:36and consider following the manufacturer's recommendations

16:40on how they're stored, how they're charged.

16:42All those make a big difference on how they will react.

16:45And if there's an increasing the chances of fire

16:48if they're not treated properly.

16:50Damage to batteries, not charging properly

16:53or overcharging are all factors in that.

16:57So I can tell you for instance,

16:59I was involved in a lithium battery fire

17:02at my full-time employment

17:04and it was rather interesting.

17:06The guy was keeping a leaf blower inside his apartment

17:10and smelled something odd and realized,

17:12oh, it's my leaf blower.

17:13He took it outside and by the time he called 911,

17:16within 10 seconds of it getting it outside,

17:19it caught on fire.

17:21So they go through an overheating process

17:24and then they ignite

17:25and it's pretty interesting to watch

17:29how this all comes about

17:33throughout its process and its reactions.

17:36So like I said,

17:38please think about fire safety with your batteries.

17:41Remember, November, the time changes.

17:43We need to remember where to change our batteries

17:45on our smoke detectors as we do every year

17:48to keep our family safe.

17:50Thank you.

17:53- Past chief of Seacon or city fire marshal Jason.

17:58- I just wanna thank the fire department.

18:00They start with the public education portion

18:03very early on with all the fire prevention tours they do.

18:08The chief covered it pretty well

18:09with the lithium ion batteries.

18:11It is a new issue we have now with thermal runaway.

18:16My recommendation is to only charge when you're home

18:19and then disconnect those batteries.

18:22And since we're on the topic of fire prevention week,

18:25my other task for this evening is the building code,

18:28which is gonna have some other

18:29fire prevention measures in it.

18:31So I look forward to you considering those as well,

18:34both tonight and another two weeks.

18:36Thank you.

18:37- Thank you, gentlemen.

18:41So before we move to the next,

18:50I have to tell you this story

18:52because I tell you every year.

18:54When I was fire prevention officer

18:56in Dover Fire Department, Robin Sohs,

18:58had a group of kindergartners in the front floor

19:01before we began our tour.

19:03And I said to the young children,

19:05"Boys and girls, what does it mean

19:08"when the smoke detector goes off in your house?"

19:12And of course, you know, little people being little people,

19:14they gave me that blank look and was kinda concerned.

19:19And I said, "Boys and girls, what does it mean

19:22"when the smoke detector goes off in your house?"

19:27And they all looked at me except the little boy

19:30that was in the back.

19:32And I was really happy that there was somebody

19:34who could give me an answer.

19:35And I said, "Yes, young man, what does it mean

19:38"when the smoke detector goes off in your house?"

19:42He said, "Suffer's ready."

19:44(laughing)

19:45Madam Clerk, that's the president.

19:48- Community Planning Month.

19:50I invite Mayor Christensen, John and Nelson Williams,

19:54principal planner for the city,

19:57to the podium for the presentation

19:59and request the city clerk to read the proclamation

20:02into the record.

20:09- Proclamation.

20:11Whereas change is constant in every community

20:14and affects all of us and planners

20:15help navigate this change through insights and expertise

20:19that assist in providing better choices

20:22for how we work and live.

20:24And whereas community planning provides an opportunity

20:27for all residents to be involved in making choices

20:30that determine the future of their community

20:32and require public officials and citizens

20:35who understand support and demand excellence

20:38in plan development and implementation.

20:41And whereas the American Planning Association

20:44and its professional institute, the American Institute

20:47of Certified Planners,

20:49endorsed National Community Planning Month

20:52as an opportunity to highlight the contributions of planners

20:56who are uniquely qualified to identify solutions

20:59to our community's difficult housing,

21:02transportation and land use questions.

21:05And whereas the celebration of Community Planning Month

21:09gives us the opportunity to recognize the participation

21:12and dedication of appointed Planning Commission members,

21:17as well as the valuable contributions of our planning staff,

21:20including their continued commitment to public service.

21:24Now, therefore, I, Robin R. Christensen,

21:26Mayor of the City of Dover, Delaware,

21:28do hereby proclaim the month of October, 2026

21:32as Community Planning Month in the City of Dover

21:35and encourage all citizens to join me

21:37in recognizing the participation and dedication

21:40of the staff of the City of Dover Department

21:42of Planning and Inspections,

21:44and they're helping creating a community with lasting value.

21:49- Thank you, Madam Clerk.

21:50Thank you, Mr. President.

21:52Dawn, on behalf of myself,

21:54members of the Dover City Council

21:56and the citizens that you serve,

21:58we present this to you, your Planning Commission,

22:01the members of your staff that make the City of Dover

22:03a great place to live, work and play.

22:10- Oh, I thought he got it already.

22:22- You knew the drill.

22:23- Yes, thank you.

22:26I accept this on behalf of the planning staff

22:29here at the City of Dover.

22:31We're part of the Department of Planning,

22:33Inspections and Community Development,

22:35and we also provide staff support

22:38to the appointed bodies of the Planning Commission,

22:42the Historic District Commission

22:44and the Board of Adjustment for the City of Dover.

22:47All of those are involved in the enforcement

22:50and education and administration

22:54of the City's land use and zoning regulations,

22:58which are found as part of Dover Code.

23:01And I'll be remiss if I didn't recognize

23:03another planner in the room,

23:05and that is one of your own councilwoman, Art,

23:08in her professional career

23:11as also a planner at the state level.

23:12So thank you, Mayor,

23:14and I will certainly share this with staff

23:16and our appointed members.

23:19- Appreciate you.

23:26- Public power week.

23:28- I don't have a story for planning.

23:29Mayor Christensen, to present the electric directors,

23:35and I'd like to hear,

23:36to the podium for the presentation

23:38on the request of City Clerk

23:40to raise the proclamation into the record.

23:42- Mr. President, could I have Ms. Yuca step forward?

23:45- You substitute for Paul Waddell.

23:50We will not, you have no resemblance to Paul Waddell,

23:59but you are his boss.

24:09- Madam Clerk.

24:11Proclamation.

24:13Whereas the citizens of the City of Dover

24:15place a high value on local choices

24:17over community services,

24:19and therefore have chosen to operate

24:21a community owned, not-for-profit electric utility,

24:25and as customers and owners of our electric utility,

24:28have a direct say in utility operations and policies.

24:32And whereas the City of Dover Electric

24:34provides our homes, businesses, schools, social services,

24:37and local governmental agencies

24:39with reliable, efficient, and safe electricity

24:42employing sound business practices

24:45designed to ensure the best possible service

24:48at not-for-profit rates.

24:50It is a valuable community asset

24:52that contributes to the wellbeing of local citizens

24:55through energy efficiency, customer service,

24:58environmental protection, economic development,

25:01safety awareness.

25:03And whereas the City of Dover Electric Department

25:06is a dependable and trustworthy institution

25:09whose local operations provide consumers protection,

25:13continues to make our community a better place

25:15to live and work,

25:16and contributes to protecting the global environment.

25:20The City of Dover Electric Department

25:21will continue to work to bring low costs,

25:24safe, reliable, and sustainable electricity

25:27to community homes and businesses,

25:29just as it has since 1899,

25:32the year when the utility was created

25:34to serve all the citizens of the City of Dover.

25:37And whereas Public Power Week

25:39is designed to recognize the people behind Public Power

25:42within the City of Dover Electric Department

25:45for their contributions to the community

25:47and to educate customer owners, policy makers,

25:50and employees on the benefits of Public Power,

25:53our community joins hands

25:55with more than 2,000 other public power systems

25:58in the United States in this celebration of Public Power,

26:01which puts our residents, businesses,

26:04and the community before profits.

26:06Now, therefore, I, Robin R. Christensen,

26:09Mayor of the City of Dover, Delaware,

26:11do hereby proclaim October 4th through 10th, 2026,

26:16as Public Power Week in the City of Dover

26:18and urge all residents to express

26:20their heartfelt appreciation to all the men and women

26:24who so diligently serve to ensure that electrical power

26:27continues to flow to the homes and businesses of the city.

26:31- Thank you, Madam Clerk.

26:32Thank you, Mr. President.

26:34- Ms. Duke, on behalf of myself,

26:35and members of the Dover City Council,

26:38and the citizens of the City of Dover that we all serve,

26:41it's my honor to present this to you

26:43on behalf of our appreciation for all the great work

26:48that the Electric Department does

26:50and how they continue to work to provide us

26:52with reliable electricity.

27:01- Thank you, Mr. Mayor.

27:02- Yes, ma'am.

27:04- Thank you, members of Council.

27:06I just wanna accept this on behalf

27:09of our Electric Department,

27:11and I would like to do a shout out to them,

27:14one of the things that they do so well

27:16is to make sure that we,

27:19I have a reliable power source here for the city.

27:24They received an award a few weeks ago

27:27at DMACC for their reliability,

27:32and they can always be trusted to head out

27:35in any kind of weather

27:36to try to make sure they restore service

27:39if a squirrel has entered the system inappropriately,

27:45or for any other reason they're here for us,

27:48and I'd like to give my appreciation to them

27:51and accept this on their behalf.

27:53Thank you.

27:58- I would like Councilman Anderson

28:01to please proceed to the podium.

28:04We have an invite, Mrs. Elizabeth Brown,

28:09to the podium for the presentation

28:11of the Just Serve City Award.

28:16- Well, thank you.

28:21- So I just Googled Delaware,

28:25City of Dover's Volunteer Proclamation.

28:29So I would just wanna repeat what it says here.

28:33As of February 9th, 2026,

28:35I'm assuming that Councilman Anderson put that forward,

28:39it's a day to reaffirm its commitment to volunteerism

28:42and promote the service platform of JustServe.org.

28:46Key focus is encouraging citizens

28:49to engage in acts of service and kindness,

28:52and promoting JustServe.org

28:53to foster a community spirit of volunteerism,

28:56regardless of background or belief.

29:03This is a 12-year-old program,

29:04started out West at first,

29:06and has been introduced in the Northeast now.

29:10We just presented to the City Council of Smyrna

29:15a couple of months ago in the beginning of the year,

29:18and they also had a volunteer proclamation

29:21that they revisited and working with JustServe.

29:26This is to reflect the Savior's ministry.

29:34When this was being, there's one of our leaders,

29:37M. Russell Ballard, said moving forward,

29:39moving beyond what we thought it could do with this platform.

29:43So it's become global now,

29:44and there's also a program

29:45with the called the JustServe Hero Award,

29:48which is in recognizing volunteers in the community.

29:51If you have extraordinary volunteers

29:53and you wanna start maybe an annual volunteer of the year,

29:56we have a platform to promote that as well.

30:01There's a few things that JustServe can do for communities.

30:04My own personal experience with it has been,

30:06we have a young women's camp every year,

30:09and we make quilts,

30:11and we found these projects on JustServe.

30:14We made quilts for foster children

30:16and donated them to somewhere here in Delaware as well.

30:20We were at K-Pen Lupin.

30:23Another one we did was Women's Conference.

30:25We wrote letters to young people who were experiencing

30:29parents or family members that were being incarcerated

30:32for long periods of time.

30:34So what we did was a remote activity.

30:37We went on JustServe.

30:38I got in touch with the letter project.

30:42They sent us some materials.

30:44We bought some things.

30:45We made cards, filled these out,

30:47and then sent them back to the letter project.

30:50And then they have names that they give out these cards to,

30:53to these young girls.

30:59One of the things,

31:00recently I've been working with an organization

31:04that is helping the Haitian population,

31:06that is being detained

31:09and getting them free legal services

31:12and down in Salisbury.

31:14So there's a wide variety of projects

31:17and nonprofits listed on this app,

31:22which is right on my phone.

31:23And anyone can download it.

31:27We have some signs, yard signs.

31:30You just, there's a QR code on there.

31:32You get on there.

31:33It's very easy to get it on your phone.

31:38So the important thing is that we promote it.

31:41And I have a tool for you on a thumb port

31:45that gives you all the tools that you need

31:47to be able to, here it is right here,

31:51to download all of the things that I have over there

31:54and the way to do it.

31:55You can send it to a printer.

31:57We got you a banner using the details on here.

32:02This is for you.

32:04There's a certificate up there

32:07that is awarded to you from the church.

32:09Oh, we have it right here.

32:11Amber has it that you can display in the city hall.

32:15And the banner is for outside

32:17that you can hang up outside,

32:18announcing that you're a Just Serve city.

32:23There's one saying that I got out of studying tonight

32:26a little bit about Just Serve

32:27and it was just get up and do it.

32:30I thought that was interesting

32:31for volunteering and helping the community.

32:35The love of the Lord Jesus Christ for the human family,

32:40there's no greater mission that he promoted.

32:45It's a principle that drives Just Serve

32:48is what would Jesus have us do for others in the community.

32:54We encourage the city council

32:55to gather the names of nonprofits to add to our area

32:59to connect volunteers, organizations,

33:02and the outcome is a greater community.

33:06We wanna join all faiths together as well in this.

33:09This is not a faith-based app.

33:12It is promoted by and developed

33:15by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints,

33:17but it's not a proselytizing tool.

33:20This is a tool for communities.

33:24And we have all been refugees.

33:29At some point in service is the opportunity

33:33for us to give back.

33:35Let's work together to grow this app

33:37to build a greater community through service.

33:39We have a banner to hang here,

33:40and I already said that to you.

33:42Any 501c3, 503c1 that you know of

33:48or are aware of, I'm a little nervous, sorry.

33:50I'm usually a case manager on the streets.

33:54And we can grow the savior's love

33:57and grow the human family.

34:00- Thank you.

34:01You have several guests that are with you.

34:03Can we please introduce them to us

34:07so that we can express their--

34:09- My name is Byron Peacock.

34:11I oversee five congregations

34:13of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

34:16across the Delmarva Peninsula,

34:18including a congregation right here in Dover.

34:23It's a privilege to be here tonight.

34:25We're grateful for this opportunity

34:27to be able to recognize the city of Dover in this manner.

34:33One of the things that has kind of touched me

34:41is that particularly in this community

34:44is the number of people

34:46who give their time to help others.

34:49And they often do it quietly.

34:51They don't seek recognition,

34:54but they see a need and they go do it.

34:58And that's what the Just Serve program is all about.

35:02Just Serve provides a way to connect people

35:07who want to help with organizations

35:13and projects that need volunteers.

35:17But it's more important than that.

35:18It really provides an opportunity for us

35:21to be able to come together as a community.

35:25And we're each from different backgrounds.

35:28We have different beliefs.

35:30We belong to different organizations.

35:33But what we share is more important than that, right?

35:36We are a community and we each have the ability

35:40to make a small difference here in Dover.

35:43And we hope that this recognition

35:46will create opportunities for more people

35:51to come to know what it means

35:56to be able to give a little bit of their time

35:58to be able to help others.

36:01We're grateful to Mayor Christensen

36:04and the members of the city council

36:06for your support of volunteerism

36:11and your commitment to help promote opportunities

36:14within the Dover community for people to serve.

36:18And so on behalf of the Church of Jesus Christ,

36:22the Latter-day Saints and our members here

36:25in the Dover community who live and serve here,

36:29we express our gratitude for your leadership

36:32and for your commitment to this community.

36:35And we present to you this certificate recognition,

36:40the City of Dover as a Just Serve City.

36:47- Okay. - I think it was Dan.

36:48- There she goes. - Thank you.

36:50- About that. - Yeah, thank you.

37:14Thank you.

37:16- Yes, we have the banner for you.

37:18Is it okay if we break it out and show it to you real quick?

37:20And I didn't mention I'm the Just Serve specialist

37:23for those five congregations he's talking about.

37:27So I listed the nonprofits.

37:29If you just get them my name and number.

37:31And I gave each of you a business card.

37:33The last time I was here,

37:34I think it was the beginning of August.

37:35If you just give them my number, it's fine.

37:38And I will list them on the Just Serve app.

37:43All they need is a website mostly.

37:46- Thank you.

37:48And Mr. President,

37:51this Just Serve app is a very useful tool

37:56for nonprofits in our city and for volunteers.

38:00It allows the match between people who want to volunteer

38:05to make our city better and organizations that need help.

38:11And that's the heart of it.

38:13And I wanted to encourage nonprofits to be part of it.

38:18It is a, so please look at it, review it, sign up.

38:23There's volunteers from all over

38:25who will be looking at the site.

38:29And it's also has other benefits as well.

38:33Very recently this summer, the clothing truck came

38:37and brought clothing into the city of Dover

38:44for people in new clothing.

38:45And well, I wanted to get you to announce the food truck,

38:56which will be, which is the next one

38:58because we didn't have, we had some,

39:01but we didn't have enough people to know.

39:03We could have,

39:04our nonprofits could have ordered a lot of clothing

39:08for their clothing clauses, et cetera.

39:10And we want them to do that for next year.

39:13And then the food truck, is that around Christmas?

39:16You could comment, you could explain,

39:18tell us a little more about that, please.

39:21Yes, I'll get you for the record.

39:23- Yeah.

39:24- Gonna have to get you.

39:27Thank you.

39:31It's a beautiful banner, isn't it?

39:34- So Barrett is my director for communications.

39:41He has informed me and I, is it the fifth or the 20th truck?

39:46You got it, okay.

39:49So it's 40,000 pounds of food.

39:51We don't know the exact date just yet,

39:54but it will be coming in the coming months.

39:57- Okay.

39:59I was under the impression

40:00it's the first week of October possibly.

40:02Yes.

40:04That's, he probably doesn't have the great date yet,

40:07but there's, October 5th is gonna be a delivery

40:10of 40,000 pounds of food to the Christian storehouse.

40:15Yeah.

40:16So these are things that we look in the community for

40:19and get involved in the community

40:21and try to promote interfaith as well.

40:24I think that we have applied

40:25to the governor's interfaith group

40:28so that we can, Brother Edwards can be a part of that.

40:33We're looking for, you know,

40:35we're just helping out in the community.

40:36That's what we're looking for the needs of the community.

40:38This is a part of the project 250, America 250,

40:42where they sent out 250 trucks across the country

40:45to celebrate the 250th anniversary.

40:49Thank you.

40:50- I'm so thankful that Councilman Anderson applied.

41:15(indistinct)

41:46- Thank you very much.

41:54We now have a public hearing on proposed ordinance

41:582026-11 approving the abandonment of Liberty Street.

42:04And I call upon Mrs. Nelson Williams,

42:08the principal planner for the city of Dover

42:11to brief us on this item.

42:14- Thank you, Council President.

42:15I'm John Nelson Williams,

42:17principal planner for the city's planning office.

42:20This public hearing this evening

42:23is related to proposed resolution 2026-11.

42:32This request for abandonment of a street

42:35began earlier this summer with its appearance

42:39before the city's planning commission on July 20th.

42:44They conducted a public hearing at that time as well.

42:48The applicant is the state of Delaware

42:51and it is in regards to a right-of-way area

42:55that is located on the east side of Legislative Hall,

42:59the address of 411 Legislative Avenue.

43:03Currently it's most familiar,

43:06familiar recognized as a drive aisle through a parking lot.

43:13However, it is a street right-of-way.

43:16It's just under a half acre in size,

43:20specifically 19,186 square feet in area.

43:25It is all public right-of-way

43:27and serves as a drive aisle to the parking lot

43:30between what are two state and parcels.

43:33The request is to abandon this right-of-way area.

43:37And upon approval, that area would be integrated

43:40into the two adjacent parcels,

43:43one being where we find the Legislative Hall.

43:47This request was considered as application MI 2608

43:51for the street abandonment.

43:53It's known as Liberty Street.

43:55It is associated with a potential project

43:58for expansion of the Legislative Hall building

44:02and is brought to council via the utility committee

44:09that also voiced its recommendation of support

44:13back on August 11th.

44:16The formal part of the process involves a public hearing

44:20before City Council acts on the resolution.

44:25Council President.

44:27- Is there any questions from staff?

44:30Hearing no questions from staff,

44:33I declare the public hearing open.

44:37Is there anyone here who would care to speak in favor

44:40of the proposed abandonment?

44:45Seeing no hands, is there anyone here

44:49who would care to speak against the proposed abandonment?

44:54Again, seeing no hands, if there's no one additional

44:59who else would like to wish to speak at the public hearing,

45:03I declare the public hearing closed.

45:07What is the pleasure of council?

45:13- What would he move for the adoption of resolution

45:18number 2026-11 approving the abandonment of Liberty Street?

45:23- Is there a second? - Second.

45:26- Pillsbury, Councilwoman Pillsbury has seconded.

45:30Any discussion?

45:31Hearing none, Madam Clerk, please call the roll.

45:36- Ms. Hall. - Yes.

45:38- Mr. Bill Grady. - Yes.

45:39- Mr. Anderson. - Yes.

45:41- Dr. Pillsbury. - Yes.

45:43- Mrs. Zarn. - Yes.

45:45- Mr. Rocha. - Yes.

45:48- Dr. South. - Yes.

45:51- Mr. Lewis. - Yes.

45:54- Council President Neill. - Yes.

45:56- Nine zero.

45:57We now come to item number 19, proposed legislation

46:02regarding the data centers from Councilwoman Hall.

46:10We need an approval for discussion for this,

46:14Councilman Anderson.

46:16- Thank you, Mr. President.

46:18When we had the recommendation before committee,

46:23we referred it, of course, for legal review,

46:26but we assumed at the time that this would be an amendment

46:33to the zoning ordinance, but since it is not,

46:38and it is a standalone ordinance,

46:41we need to amend the committee recommendation,

46:45which was to send it to Council

46:48and then the Planning Commission.

46:54It's just going to be to Council.

46:56Therefore, I will make a motion.

47:00I move that the committee recommendation

47:06be that following legal review,

47:10the solicitors determine this ordinance is standalone

47:14and does not require Planning Commission.

47:17Therefore, it is recommended to Council

47:21as a normal ordinance.

47:24- Is there a second? - I'll second that.

47:27- And it has been moved and seconded.

47:29Discussion? - Discussion.

47:32Discussion over the-- - Councilman Rocha.

47:35I mean, Councilman networking.

47:37- I have no problem with what has been,

47:40but I just wanted to know because I probably,

47:44it says the items will be considered

47:47during the latter part of the meeting, see item 22.

47:50Is there a specific difference between

47:54what we're going to discuss now in 22

47:57because it made 22 and the proposed, I have no issue.

48:01I just want to know for a matter of record.

48:04- If I may. - Clarity.

48:08- Yes, Councilman Anderson.

48:09- Thank you, Mr. President.

48:12And normally, it's just the normal procedure

48:14that we have the committee report

48:17and then that committee report is approved.

48:22Then we, in first reading,

48:24it's a separate and distinct item

48:26as required by our charter.

48:28Our charter requires any ordinance to have two readings.

48:34So basically, the committee report

48:36allows it to advance to council.

48:38Item 22 is the first reading.

48:41And then we'll have discussion.

48:43Well, we probably won't have discussion

48:45unless there's discussion on the amendment.

48:48But we have, but then the,

48:52and then the next time we have discussion on,

48:54debate on the ordinance.

48:55- I'm very familiar with our process,

48:58but I just wanted to make sure

49:00because this says they were just listed separately.

49:04I'm familiar with our process,

49:05but there was 19 and 22,

49:10but I don't want to make it a big issue.

49:12I just wanted to know was there a significant delta

49:16between what we just said in 19

49:20because it actually says see item 22 and then item 22.

49:25That's all.

49:26But I don't want to make it a big thing.

49:27I just want to make sure.

49:29- That's the way we normally do it.

49:30But this time we had to amend the motion

49:33because of the being a standalone ordinance.

49:36Normally we wouldn't even pull it off and discuss it.

49:39It would just go tandemly through both.

49:42But it had to be pulled off

49:43because of what the motion was that was made at committee.

49:46It included the planning commission.

49:48Since then, there's been a legal review

49:50and it was decided that it was a standalone ordinance

49:53and it didn't impact the zoning code.

49:55So we just needed to pull it off for that reason.

49:59- So are we going to discuss something totally different

50:01on item number 22 or that's just the first reading?

50:03- Just the first reading.

50:05- I thought there was going to be something

50:06significantly different.

50:07I yield, thank you.

50:08- It was housekeeping.

50:09Okay, we have a motion on the floor.

50:12We have a second on the floor writer.

50:14Okay, any further discussion?

50:17All in favor, please say aye.

50:20- Aye.

50:21- Aye.

50:22- Hearing no opposition, now it passes.

50:27Now we move to ordinance,

50:30the first reading of proposed ordinance, 2025-19,

50:35adoption of the 2024 ICC codes.

50:40Final action by the city council will take place

50:43during the second reading in October 12th, 2026.

50:48Proposed ordinance 2025-19 is available

50:53at the entrance of the council chambers

50:55or on the city's website at www.cityofdover.com

51:02under government or by contacting the city clerk's office

51:06at 302-736-7008 or [email protected].

51:19I'll request Mr. Brown to please brief us on this item.

51:34- Good evening, Matthew Brown with Fire Marshal's Office.

51:37I was also interim for the building department

51:39for the last year and a half.

51:40Before you is the code change ordinance

51:43that was proposed to council a few weeks ago,

51:46going from the 2009 to 2024 building code.

51:49I'm not gonna get into the weeds.

51:51It is a lengthy document.

51:53I believe just the code change is about 20 pages.

51:58In simple, the big ticket items, so to say,

52:01are one, the provision for how to build a tiny house,

52:05which is anything under 400 square feet.

52:08It does not impose any stipulations on zoning,

52:12which our zoning ordinance already has provisions in it

52:16to allow those kinds of structures to be built.

52:19The other option, or excuse me, the other item

52:21that's a big ticket item

52:22is the residential sprinkler systems.

52:26There, excuse me, the building codes, as they have evolved,

52:30it has gone into a lighter weight construction

52:33as well as different building materials

52:36that pose a concern, and that's why,

52:38as part of the system of the building code

52:41incorporated the residential sprinkler systems,

52:44I put together a couple question and answer sheets.

52:47I believe the clerk's office has pushed out

52:50that can go with that.

52:51Other than that, it's just updating the code

52:53and getting us where we need to be.

52:56Questions?

52:58- Any questions from staff?

53:02Say none.

53:03I now defer to Madam Clerk Bennett

53:05for the introduction of the ordinance

53:07in accordance with section 1-9 of the Dover Code.

53:12Thank you, Mr. Brown.

53:15- Ordinance 2025-19, adoption of 2024 ICC codes.

53:21This constitutes the first reading.

53:23The final reading is scheduled to take place

53:25on October 12th, 2026.

53:28- The final reading is scheduled, as you heard.

53:30Now we have the first reading

53:31of proposed ordinance 2026-14, Data Center Moratorium.

53:38Final action by City Council will take place

53:41during the second reading on October 12th, 2026.

53:45Proposed ordinance 2026-14 is available

53:49at the entrance of the council chambers

53:52or in the city's website at www.cityofdover.com

53:58under government or by contacting the city clerk's office

54:02at 302-736-7008 or [email protected].

54:14Request Ms. Hall, Councilman Hall

54:17to brief us on this item.

54:21- Good evening to everyone in council chambers.

54:23I've read at length about this proposed ordinance.

54:28We are looking at making certain

54:31that we have the proper infrastructure here within the city

54:35to be able to support data centers

54:37and the proposed ordinance is to place

54:41an 18 month moratorium on moving forward

54:45as outlined in the first draft.

54:48And I am looking forward to having a robust discussion

54:53on how we ascertain what our infrastructure looks like

54:58and whether or not we will be able

55:01to sustain data centers with what we currently have

55:05and looking forward again to getting the research done

55:10on all aspects of the proposed ordinance.

55:16I yield.

55:17- Thank you.

55:18- Any questions, Councilman Sudler.

55:21- Thank you for recognizing me.

55:25As Ms. Hall, thank you for first and foremost,

55:29thank you for bringing us to our attention

55:31and the resolution.

55:35We've heard from our constituents in regards

55:36to the long-term impact, the environmental impact,

55:44sound waves in conjunction

55:47with the infrastructure concerns.

55:50So will we beginning like,

55:53do we have any measures in place

55:54to look at the environmental impact

55:56to address the constituents concerns in regards to that?

56:00Are we looking forward to gathering that data

56:06and presenting it to the constituents or to council?

56:11Or can you speak a little bit to that matter?

56:13- Certainly. - If you can.

56:15- Certainly, and thank you for the question.

56:17I heard those concerns as well.

56:20I am gonna do my due diligence to field those questions

56:25and come back with some more enlightening comments

56:30broadened specifically to those areas

56:33of interest of study.

56:35So that will definitely be a part

56:38of the consideration moving forward

56:40as to the scope of what we should, shouldn't do,

56:45and how to go about taking care of that.

56:47Thank you very much.

56:48- Just one last question.

56:50Will you be conducting the research yourself

56:52or do you have a team

56:54or is there someone from the city staff

56:56that's gonna be helping you

56:58'cause that's a lot of research and time

57:01and I just wanna make sure

57:02that you have all the necessary assistance

57:08that you may need.

57:09I didn't know if you could share that with us.

57:12If you're gonna do all the research

57:14or you have staff or do you need staff

57:16or anything we can do as counsel to assist you?

57:20- Oh, absolutely.

57:21I'm looking for people to weigh in

57:23on how we can be cost effective

57:27about conducting those important surveys

57:31and I will be speaking with city staff

57:35to find out what the best approach is

57:39to make sure that we have the best possible approach

57:42to modeling this thing and giving the best possible outcomes

57:48for those measurable equivalents

57:51that we're gonna need

57:52to make these very important decisions.

57:54- If there's anything that I can do,

57:55just give me a call or call away.

57:58I'm willing to help and assist in any way I can.

58:00Thank you again.

58:01I yield.

58:02- Councilman Bogarty.

58:04- Thank you.

58:05Thank you and of course I appreciate your work

58:07and echo the sentiments.

58:09My only ask is because of the robust discussion

58:13that will take place.

58:15I don't know if it would fall

58:17into the council president's purview

58:19but can we, would you be open to have a specific meeting

58:26be it a town hall or whatever format centered

58:30around data centers because one,

58:34if we have a regular council meeting

58:36and it's at the bottom of our meeting,

58:37then it's unfair for those individuals too.

58:41Also, it will give us ample time to hear the pros and cons.

58:49I'm not saying either side,

58:50but those who are for or against it

58:53and three, I believe we will have more participation

58:58from our constituents.

59:00If we can have a town hall meeting,

59:04that's probably early.

59:06I'll let you all work that out.

59:08Just centered around data centers specifically.

59:12That's just to ask.

59:13- Council Member Bogarty, I have no objection to it.

59:16Understanding that when we had the open forum,

59:19the same people will be here to discuss the same thing.

59:22You're not gonna, there's no way I'm gonna tell people

59:25who are out here, you can't talk now.

59:28So understand when you have that,

59:30it's gonna be a duplicate of what we had.

59:34And I think that what we have done on this

59:38is to really narrow it down from what the state has said

59:44and what we have said and what our staff has said

59:47so that we're not gonna do anything

59:50that's going to hurt the people who are out there.

59:53I mean, that's gonna be visible.

59:55But if you so desire,

59:57I certainly think that we can arrange something

59:59for a forum somewhere.

1:00:02- I just think it'd be--

1:00:03- Talk about, but you're not gonna stop the open forum.

1:00:06- Oh, right, right.

1:00:07- People coming in, understand that's a separate issue.

1:00:10- Yeah, I was just thinking that.

1:00:12Again, it's just a thought.

1:00:14It doesn't have to go that way,

1:00:16but I was just thinking open forums at city councils,

1:00:22they can be what they are.

1:00:23But then if we show that good faith,

1:00:28which we are doing now, but just that one extra step

1:00:31where that specific meeting will just hone in

1:00:34on that issue and all the other issues

1:00:37won't get lost in translation.

1:00:39That's just my humble opinion,

1:00:41but it is, I understand the game is on,

1:00:43so individuals are ready to gavel at you.

1:00:49- There are any other questions, yes.

1:00:52- Thank you, Mr. President.

1:00:55I would like to make a motion

1:01:00just to incorporate the amendment

1:01:03that you see in the packet into the ordinance,

1:01:09just as an explanation of the section two,

1:01:14subsection three define a data center

1:01:18according to the standards and codes.

1:01:22But Ms. Don Nelson-Williams raised a legitimate point

1:01:29that it's better out of transparency

1:01:32to actually put the word there

1:01:35because the average person doesn't know what that means.

1:01:40So by just making that crystal clear so that everyone

1:01:46out there knows we're not playing any games,

1:01:49but we have the definition of our,

1:01:53I wanna thank our solicitor, Mr. Griffith,

1:01:56for his work on that and making sure

1:01:59that everything is clear

1:02:01and there are no legal contradictions

1:02:03or anything of the sort.

1:02:05And we wanted to make sure of that and thank you for that.

1:02:10And I so move in corporation of the amendment

1:02:14that she's seen in the packet.

1:02:17- Is there a second?

1:02:20Do we have a second?

1:02:21- Fogarty seconds.

1:02:23- It's been seconded by Councilman Fogarty.

1:02:25Any discussion?

1:02:28All in favor, please say aye.

1:02:30- Aye.

1:02:31- Any opposed?

1:02:34No opposition?

1:02:35It's amendment pass, the motion passes.

1:02:40Okay, this constitutes the first reading.

1:02:44This final reading is scheduled to take place

1:02:47on October 12th, 2026.

1:02:52We now have city managers announcements.

1:02:58- Thank you for recognizing me, Council President.

1:03:00I do have a few announcements.

1:03:03One, on Monday, October 5th,

1:03:06the city will be starting its annual Silver Lake Drawdown.

1:03:09This occurs for approximately two weeks.

1:03:12Notification was sent out to adjacent property owners.

1:03:16Our water replacement projects are wrapping up

1:03:19on Queen Street and the Fairview alleys.

1:03:22Contractors working on installing final water services

1:03:25in meters and the contractor anticipates

1:03:28to begin road restoration in mid October.

1:03:32Flushing will begin on Sunday, October 4th

1:03:35through Friday, October 25th.

1:03:38A water system map showing the progress

1:03:42and the locations will be posted on the city's website

1:03:45and Facebook page.

1:03:47EDIS, the general contractor for the Dover Mobility Center

1:03:51will be starting a precast concrete delivery

1:03:54via tractor trailer in mid October through November.

1:03:58Weather permitting, the delivery route is October 13th

1:04:02to divisions, I'm sorry, November, holy mackerel.

1:04:08Route 13 to Division Street,

1:04:10to South Bradford Street to Lockerman Street

1:04:13and back to Route 13.

1:04:16They, just so you're aware,

1:04:18they did complete a test run of this, which went smoothly.

1:04:23And they are coordinating with the adjacent property owners

1:04:25and emergency services throughout.

1:04:30It is a delivery of concrete panels

1:04:33and we'll be looking at over 300 trips.

1:04:38And the last announcement is that our fall of 2026

1:04:42leaf collection services will start on Monday,

1:04:46October 19th, 2026 and will run until January 15th, 2027.

1:04:54If you have any questions, please reach out

1:04:56to the Public Works Department at 736-7025.

1:05:00Thank you very much.

1:05:01- Thank you, Madam City Manager.

1:05:04Mayor announcements.

1:05:06- Thank you, Mr. President.

1:05:08As everyone knows, I am the fun mayor.

1:05:12So we have some fun events that are gonna be going on

1:05:14in downtown Dover.

1:05:16This Friday, October the 2nd

1:05:18will be Dover High School's homecoming.

1:05:21Go Senators.

1:05:22October the 10th, we will have two fun events

1:05:26going on in downtown Dover.

1:05:28The Delaware State University homecoming

1:05:31and the Amish Bite Tour.

1:05:33And at the end of the month,

1:05:34look for the continued notification

1:05:39about two trunk retreat events that we have downtown

1:05:42as well as our ongoing farmer's market.

1:05:45That's all I have, Mr. President.

1:05:46- Thank you. - Thank you.

1:05:47- Well, the sacred is out.

1:05:48It's Councilman Sudler's birthday

1:05:50and we'll give him the first option

1:05:51to making announcements.

1:05:53- If he went down, can he disappear?

1:05:55(laughing)

1:05:58- Sorry about that.

1:05:59I was gonna say to him.

1:06:02Councilmember's announcements.

1:06:04(laughing)

1:06:07Show of hands, anybody.

1:06:09Council announcements.

1:06:12Yes, Councilman Anderson.

1:06:14- Thank you, Mr. President.

1:06:16And first announcement is this Wednesday, September 30th,

1:06:226 to 7 30 p.m. at Ramana's restaurant,

1:06:28which is across from the Dover Middle Schools

1:06:31on Walker Road.

1:06:33Councilman Dr. Sudler and I will be holding a pizza

1:06:38and conversation to talk about safety issues, concerns.

1:06:44If people fourth district would wish to come by,

1:06:48we're not gonna turn anybody away, by the way,

1:06:51from the city.

1:06:52But also, we would send particular the concerns

1:06:58brought about by the Woodcrest Neighborhood Watch Association.

1:07:05We will be, we have that open for people to come

1:07:09and we'll be giving an update on the Woodcrest concerns

1:07:13and we invite anyone in the fourth,

1:07:15but particularly the surrounding communities,

1:07:19Silver Lake, Northwest, Over Heights,

1:07:21Woodcrest, Hamlet, et cetera.

1:07:25And anyone else in the fourth district

1:07:27or if somebody else in the city wants to come

1:07:31and say hello, they're welcome.

1:07:32That's Wednesday, September 30th.

1:07:37And then this one was one Councilman Sudler asked me

1:07:42to announce, so you still get his announcement.

1:07:46And that is October 7th, right here at City Hall,

1:07:50is the Opioid Use Disorder Settlement Committee meeting.

1:07:56The agenda and the likes already posted under

1:08:00City of Dover meetings.

1:08:02So if you know any one or organization that has interest,

1:08:08please pass the word along.

1:08:12Thank you very much.

1:08:13And I yield, Mr. President.

1:08:15- Any additional Council announcements?

1:08:18And hearing none, this meeting is adjourned.

1:08:23- Well done as usual, sir.

1:08:25Now we can watch the eagles.