The Daughters of the American Revolution is urging Americans to reflect on the U.S. Constitution during this month’s annual observance honoring this foundational document.
“There are two documents of paramount importance to American history: the Declaration of Independence, which forged our national identity, and the United States Constitution, which set forth the framework for the federal government that functions to this day,” said DAR President General Denise Doring VanBuren.
The DAR initiated the observance in 1955 when the organization petitioned Congress to dedicate a week to: encourage the study of the historical events that led to the framing of the Constitution; to remind the public that the Constitution is the basis of America’s great heritage and the foundation for its way of life; and to emphasize U.S. citizens’ responsibility to protect, defend and preserve the U.S. Constitution.
Locally, the DAR is staging an event this year on The Circle in Georgetown (see above.)
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County Reassessment Meetings Slated
for Later this Month
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Sussex County will this month host a series of community meetings to provide the public with an overview of the forthcoming effort to reassess more than 180,000 commercial and residential properties.
Five meetings and one virtual session have been scheduled to give the public an opportunity to better understand how the complex reassessment process works.
The mandated initiative will begin in October as assessors for the county’s vendor, Tyler Technologies, hit the streets. This the first general reassessment the county has ever conducted and is scheduled for completion by 2024.
The reassessment process follows a years-long legal fight over real estate valuations used by Delaware’s counties to calculate annual property tax bills, with revenue collected for local government services and public education. Sussex County joined Kent and New Castle counties earlier this year in settling the lawsuit by agreeing to conduct a general reassessment of all properties within their jurisdictions.
The public meetings scheduled for the reassessment process include:
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Thursday, September 23, from 2 to 4 p.m., at Milton Fire Department, 116 Front Street, Milton.
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Thursday, September 23, from 6 to 8 p.m., at Delaware Technical Community College-Owen Campus, 21179 College Drive, Georgetown.
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Monday, September 27, from 6 to 8 p.m., at the Delaware National Guard-Bethany Beach Training Site, 163 Scannell Boulevard, Bethany Beach.
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Wednesday, September 29, from 6 to 8 p.m., at Millsboro Town Center, 322 Wilson Highway, Millsboro.
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Thursday, September 30, from 6 to 8 p.m., at Seaford Volunteer Fire Department, 302 King Street, Seaford.
All meetings are open to the public; masks and social distancing are required by some venues, so the public should prepare in advance to observe COVID-19 measures. County officials will be on hand, and representatives from Tyler Technologies will make a presentation to explain the various components of a general reassessment.
In addition to the in-person sessions, one virtual session featuring the same presentation will be conducted. That meeting will be held on Monday, September 27, from 2 to 4 p.m., available on any computer or mobile device by clicking here.
As part of the Sussex County project, all properties will be evaluated and re-calculated based on current industry-accepted methodologies to produce new assessments that will reflect their true value in money, a requirement under Delaware law.
Assessments, combined with a governing jurisdiction’s property tax rate, are part of the formula used to determine individual tax bills that property owners receive each year. Bills include taxes for both county and local independent school districts. Delaware law requires Sussex County to bill property owners for school taxes on behalf of the local districts. Approximately 90 percent of the typical residential tax bill in Sussex is for local schools.
County officials will provide additional updates as the reassessment process unfolds in the months ahead. For more information on the process, including a helpful Q&A section, visit www.sussexcountyde.gov/assessment.
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Delaware Bankers Say Proposed Federal Rule Could Endanger Citizen Privacy |
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The Delaware Bankers Association maintains that citizens' privacy could be compromised by a proposed federal rule change and it is urging Delaware's Congressional delegation to oppose it.
"The Delaware Bankers Association is strongly opposed to a proposal under consideration...that would create new tax information reporting requirements for financial institutions," Ms. Long said in the September 9th letter.
Intended to identify people attempting to avoid federal taxes, the proposal would require financial institutions and other providers of financial services to track and submit to the IRS information on the inflows and outflows of every account exceeding an annual $600 threshold.
"This proposal would create a dragnet, collecting the financial information of nearly every American and requiring significant resources to build, police, and maintain," the letter stated. "Policymakers must consider how account-holder data would be protected and whether a program of this scale and scope infringes on the American people’s reasonable expectation of privacy. The IRS experiences 1.4 billion cyberattacks annually, has had multiple data breaches, and continues to deal with the fallout of identity theft and false tax returns. Adding an entirely new set of data will likely expose even more taxpayer data."
Additionally, the association maintains the rule change could intimidate some Americans, causing them to avoid the banking system altogether. "Privacy concerns are already cited as one of the top reasons that individuals choose not to open bank accounts," Ms. Long wrote. "A reporting regime of this magnitude would potentially undermine our banks’ efforts to reach populations that are suspicious of working with regulated financial institutions."
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SAVE THE DATE:
Annual Camp Barnes Benefit Stock Car Race
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The 49th Annual Camp Barnes Benefit Stock Car Race will be held at the Delaware International Speedway on Saturday, October 2.
This year’s event will feature Big Block-Small Block Modifieds, Super Late Models, RUSH Crate Late Models, Crate 602 Sportsman, Little Lincoln, Vintage, Mod-Lites, and Super Trucks. Drivers will compete for over $40,000 in prize money.
Gates open at 2 p.m. with activities and displays including the Delaware State Police Aviation Unit and the Delaware State Police Mounted Patrol Unit. Racing action starts at 4 p.m.
The race is one of three fundraising events staged by the Delaware State Police in support of Camp Barnes (photo), located near Bethany Beach. The camp hosts up to 100 children per week (ages 10-13), for six weeks each summer, at no cost to their families. The children participate in outdoor activities and are taught leadership and teamwork skills.
Tickets to the race will be sold onsite the night of the event. Spectator tickets are $20 and pit tickets are $35. Children under 10, accompanied by parent or guardian, are admitted free to spectator seating.
For additional information, contact Detective Jeff Hudson at 302-752-3834 or [email protected].
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