Editor’s Note: This is the first story in a five-part Delaware Source series examining changes made to Delaware City Council’s Strategic Action Plan. Each installment focuses on one of the plan’s five priority areas.
DELAWARE — Delaware officials are reshaping the city’s roadmap for the next two years, beginning with a renewed focus on fiscal sustainability and clearer communication about how the city pays for growth.
City council members and department leaders spent about three hours Monday reviewing the city’s Strategic Action Plan, originally adopted in August 2025. The goal was to assess progress and identify new priorities.
Management Advisory Group managing partner David Collinsworth facilitated the retreat-style discussion.
The Strategic Action Plan is organized around five goals:
- Strengthen fiscal sustainability
- Grow and diversify the local economy
- Strengthen regional partnerships
- Foster community connectivity and vibrancy
- Solve parking and mobility challenges
Monday’s discussion began with the fiscal sustainability section, where council reviewed existing initiatives before identifying new ideas and ranking them by priority.
The fiscal sustainability section centers on diversifying city revenue, aligning growth with infrastructure costs and managing long-term financial risk.
According to an updated planning packet, the city considers this portion of the strategic plan to be “in progress.”
The city’s goal in that category is to ensure long-term fiscal sustainability by diversifying revenue sources, aligning growth with infrastructure costs and proactively managing financial risk.
Existing initiatives underway
Before identifying new priorities, city officials reviewed the status of five action items already included in the fiscal sustainability section of the strategic plan:
- Assess transportation impact fees — In Progress
Staff are engaged in regional and professional discussions while laying the groundwork for a future evaluation. - Review and expand New Community Authorities (NCAs) — In Progress
Officials identified NCAs as a key fiscal tool in the city’s Community Taxation Policy. - Explore Special Assessment Districts — In Progress
Staff said the concept remains a viable future option but requires additional policy direction and timing. - Establish a Community Taxation Policy — On Track
The Finance Committee, city staff and advisers are evaluating long-term tax strategies. - Address pension cost pressures — In Progress
Staff continue monitoring state legislation affecting public pension systems.
After reviewing those projects, Collinsworth led council members and department heads through an exercise to identify new ideas and determine which should become the city’s highest priorities moving forward.
New priorities emerge
One of the group’s highest priorities was completing a comprehensive economic development incentive policy that includes a citywide policy for New Community Authorities (NCAs).
The city’s Economic Development Director Nic Langford, and Director of Planning and Community Development Sandra Pereira, largely advocated for these policies.
Council members also emphasized improving how the city communicates financial issues with residents.
Councilmen Adam Haynes and Matt McClellan said residents need a better understanding of the city’s finances and suggested finding more proactive ways to explain complex fiscal topics before major decisions are made.
Haynes suggested using artificial intelligence to create educational messaging and developing a short YouTube video series to explain city finances in more accessible terms.
Those communication efforts ultimately emerged as one of the group’s highest priorities alongside the city’s fiscal policy initiatives.
What’s next
The ideas generated during Monday’s retreat do not immediately change city policy.
Instead, Collinsworth said the work session was intended to identify priorities that staff can begin incorporating into future council discussions and formal action items as the strategic plan continues to evolve.
This is the first installment in a five-part Delaware Source series examining updates to the city’s Strategic Action Plan. The next story will focus on economic development.
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