An Act To Amend The Charter Of The Village Of Arden.
SB220 is a charter revision for the Village of Arden that substantially rewrites the town’s governing document. It adds a preamble describing Arden’s values and history, updates definitions, and reorganizes the structure of local government around the Town Assembly, which remains the village’s core governing body. The bill sets out procedures for regular and special meetings, quorum and voting rules, ordinance enactment, referenda, and the selection and duties of key local officers such as the Chair and Secretary.
The measure also updates Arden’s administrative and fiscal machinery. It revises the Board of Assessors process, including adding a non-voting alternate member and requiring hearings and records in connection with assessments of leased lands and the community standard of living. It modifies the Budget Committee and Registration Committee provisions, clarifies how budgets are approved and what happens if a budget referendum fails, and simplifies provisions on law enforcement, contracts, and enforcement of village ordinances. The bill also removes or transfers certain subjects—such as fire, zoning, and housing codes—to county handling, and modernizes the charter with gender-neutral language and other technical edits.
A major substantive change is the expansion of Arden’s municipal boundaries to include the Sherwood Forest Addition and the Mill Race Addition. The bill also expressly states that the General Assembly’s boundary amendment is not subject to Section 101 of Title 29 of the Delaware Code. In addition, it preserves existing ordinances and official acts through a savings clause and includes a severability clause so that any invalidated portion would not void the rest of the act.
The overall sentiment appears strongly favorable and noncontroversial. The bill passed the Senate third reading unanimously, 20-0, and the House third reading unanimously, 38-0, indicating broad bipartisan support and no recorded opposition in the voting history provided. The absence of committee transcript discussion also suggests the measure was treated as a routine charter update rather than a contested policy change.
The main points of potential contention are structural rather than partisan: the charter changes shift some procedures from the charter itself to local ordinance, adjust how assessors, budget matters, and registration are handled, and confirm the village’s authority over land use and eminent domain within its limits. The boundary expansion and the explicit statement about legislative authority over municipal boundaries could also be notable legal points, but the unanimous votes suggest these issues were not politically divisive in the legislative process.
SB220 amends the Village of Arden’s charter, replacing the existing charter text with a revised framework for local governance. It changes how the town assembly operates, updates local election and referendum procedures, revises assessment and budget processes, and clarifies enforcement, contracting, and official duties. It also expands the village’s corporate limits to include the Sherwood Forest Addition and the Mill Race Addition, thereby extending Arden’s municipal jurisdiction and the application of its charter powers to those areas. The bill affects village residents, leaseholders, trustees, and local officials, while also preserving existing ordinances and confirming that certain land-use subjects remain under New Castle County’s control.
The bill’s reception appears overwhelmingly positive. The recorded votes were unanimous in both chambers, with no nays in either the Senate or House third readings. That voting pattern indicates broad agreement that the charter update was appropriate and likely routine, with no visible partisan or ideological split in the available record.
No major controversy is evident in the available materials, but the bill does make several governance changes that could matter locally. The most notable issues are the expansion of Arden’s boundaries, the reworking of assessment and budget procedures, and the transfer of some operational details from the charter to local ordinance. The bill also reinforces the Town Assembly’s authority over eminent domain within village limits and clarifies that fire, zoning, and housing matters are handled by New Castle County. These changes could be sensitive to residents or leaseholders affected by assessments, budgeting, or boundary inclusion, but the unanimous votes suggest no significant legislative opposition.