posted on 7/6/2026

The City Council holds its first meeting of fiscal year 2027 on Wednesday, July 8. On the agenda are a number of resolutions and four public hearings.

One public hearing is for the resolution to authorize using $125,000 generated from Dover Business and Industrial Development Authority land sales in Enterprise Park to invest in downtown placemaking and cultural infrastructure, including $60,000 for the Dover Arts Commission sculpture base program, $60,000 for the Light Up Dover project and $5,000 for Fish Ladder Park. The resolution received a unanimous recommendation from DBIDA. “These investments will activate public spaces, attract visitors, and create a cohesive downtown experience that will support economic activity in Dover,” it states in the resolution’s background materials. “Targeting the downtown allows us to maximize the community and business benefits of these investments by supporting a larger number of individual businesses.”

Another public hearing will be held on a resolution that would amend sections of the Vehicle and Traffic ordinance. One part is the changing of parking restrictions on select streets to aid winter snow removal and emergency vehicle access. Another part is adding parking permit areas on sections of Washington and Chestnut streets. There is a separate public hearing and resolution related to setting the fees for these new parking permit areas. These proposed changes were recommended by the Parking Commission. 

The last public hearing is on the resolution authorizing the City of Dover to conduct its annual appraisal of real estate for fiscal year 2027 (tax year 2026). It’s been the city’s practice for decades to conduct the annual assessment to ensure assessments are proportional to market value. This is the first of two public hearings of the resolution. Another will be held on Wednesday, July 22, with a City Council vote on Wednesday, Aug. 22....more