An Act To Amend Title 9 Of The Delaware Code Relating To The State Farmland Valuation Advisory Committee.
Summary
SB254 revises the State Farmland Evaluation Advisory Committee in Title 9 of the Delaware Code. The bill expands the committee from 3 members to 7 voting members and adds 3 non-voting county assessment officials from New Castle, Kent, and Sussex Counties. Under the new structure, the committee would be chaired by the Secretary of the Department of Finance and would also include representatives tied to the Delaware State Grange, the Delaware Farm Bureau, the Department of Agriculture, and the University of Delaware, along with two gubernatorial appointees with practical experience in agricultural financing and farmland valuation.
The bill also modernizes and formalizes the committee’s duties. It requires the committee to meet at least quarterly, receive staff support from the Department of Finance, and publish an annual report by February 1 each year. The committee must continue to determine and publish ranges of fair value for agricultural, horticultural, and forest land, but it must now review its valuation formula and methodology at least every two years and base that formula on at least the preceding 20 years of land values. The bill preserves the committee’s core role in advising county taxing districts on farmland assessment values while adding more oversight, reporting, and participation from state and county stakeholders.
Impact
SB254 amends the statutory framework governing farmland valuation in Delaware by changing the composition, procedures, and reporting obligations of the State Farmland Evaluation Advisory Committee. It affects Title 9 provisions related to agricultural, horticultural, and forest land assessment values, and it adds county assessment officials and state finance support into the process. The practical effect is to broaden input into farmland valuation determinations and to make the committee’s methodology review and annual reporting more explicit and regularized, which may influence how farmland is assessed for property tax purposes across the state.
Sentiment
The available voting history suggests strong support for the bill, with the Senate passing third reading unanimously 19-0. The bill’s synopsis frames the changes as administrative improvements meant to strengthen the committee’s work, improve valuation methodology, and increase transparency. No committee transcript or recorded debate is provided, so there is no evidence of organized opposition in the materials supplied.
Contention
No specific points of contention are documented in the provided record. Based on the bill text, any potential concerns would likely center on the expanded committee size, the addition of county assessment officials, and the shift in valuation oversight toward the Department of Finance and a broader set of stakeholders. However, the unanimous Senate vote and lack of transcripted debate indicate that these issues did not generate visible controversy in the available materials.