Bill to ax Kent County row offices clears House

The Delaware House passed a bill Jan. 14 that would eliminate two Kent County row offices, a measure that has encountered some pushback from certain state legislators.

House Bill 294 passed with no dissenting votes.

The House Housing and Community Affairs Committee Jan. 13 voted unanimously to send the bill to the floor of the chamber for action after hearing a brief explanation of the legislation from sponsor Rep. Brad Bennett, D-Dover.

By eliminating its receiver of taxes and comptroller positions, the county stands to save at least $200,000 per year, Bennett said.

“I’m looking to save taxpayer dollars,” Bennett said. “I think it’s a good idea.”

New Castle and Sussex counties eliminated similar positions decades ago when they switched to county council forms of government, but even though Kent County Levy Court has evolved into an equally modern governmental body, the law was never changed in the same way.

Kent County Administrator Michael Petit De Mange said technology allows the county to perform the duties of the receiver and comptroller’s offices effectively and efficiently under the auspices of its Department of Finance.

If the bill passes the senate, the two elected positions and their associated deputy jobs would cease to exist when the current officeholders’ terms expire or they retire.

The county receiver, Joyce Melvin, and her deputy already retired last spring; and the county has not asked the governor to appoint a replacement. Comptroller Georgette Williams is scheduled to serve through 2012.

When the offices go away, county staff currently assigned to them would be rolled into the Finance Department and no employees would be let go, Petit De Mange added.

The county administrator said he was pleased to see the legislation advancing. Last spring, when the idea first was proposed and endorsed by a unanimous vote of Levy Court, some lawmakers were less than receptive.

Kent County Sens. Bruce C. Ennis and Nancy Cook both expressed their opposition to the idea at the outset, and little has changed.

Ennis said his disagreements lie with the bill’s impact on the balance of power at the county level.

“To me the comptroller is the same as the state auditor and think there’s a need to perform those duties,” he said. “[The comptroller] is not tied to the Levy Court, not that I’m saying I have any distrust of Levy Court.”

Cook would not comment on the legislation or offer any predictions about its chances in the Senate.

The views of Ennis and Cook notwithstanding, Levy Court found bipartisan support in the rest of the local delegation.

To date, the bill’s cosponsors include Rep. Darryl Scott, D-Dover; Rep. Donald Blakey, R-Dover South; Rep. S. Quinton Johnson, D-Middletown; Rep. William R. Outten, R-Harrington; Rep. Pam Thornburg, R-Dover West; Rep. Robert Walls, D-Milford; Sen. Brian Bushweller, D-Dover; and Sen. F. Gary Simpson, R-Milford.

“When we first attempted to get sponsorship there was a little resistance,” Petit De Mange said. “But we’re pleased. They realize this is a cost savings measure.”

Bushweller said his support for the legislation is predicated on the money it would save taxpayers, but he recognizes the opinions expressed by Ennis.

“I get a sense there’s a strong sense of tradition [in those offices], but I respect that,” he said.

Levy Court President P. Brooks Banta said he’s optimistic that both houses of the legislature will pass the bill.

“In this case what really needs to be looked at is the value to the county government,” he said. “Unfortunately there may be some justifiable reason that senators may look at this in a different light, but when they look at the entire state, this is not an unfair request.”

 Email Doug Denison at doug.denison@doverpost.com.