Statements by Fred A. Neil
1,535 statements from meeting recordings, newest meeting first.
Machine transcript. Statements are matched to this official by machine and can be wrong. Check the recording.
Oct 27, 2026, Council Committee of the Whole
I will now call to order the Council Committee of the Whole meeting of Tuesday, October 27th, 2026. And I would remind the public that public comments are welcome on any item and will be permitted at the appropriate time. You have before you this evening's agenda, and I'll entertain a motion for its adoption.
Play from 00:00Oct 27, 2026, Council Committee of the Whole
It's moved and seconded. Any discussion? All in favor, please say aye.
Play from 00:23Oct 27, 2026, Council Committee of the Whole
Seeing none, all those uh uh I recognize the chairman, Andre Boggerty, to conduct the business of the Safety Advisory and Transportation Committee. The floor is yours, sir.
Play from 00:29Oct 27, 2026, Council Committee of the Whole
Neil seconds.
Play from 22:46Oct 27, 2026, Council Committee of the Whole
Thank you, Chairman Boggerty. Uh I now recognize Chairman David Anderson to conduct the business of the Legislative, Finance, and Administration Committee. The floor is yours, sir.
Play from 1:30:41Oct 27, 2026, Council Committee of the Whole
Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Uh CAMSA is like a cat with nine lives. It clearly establishes that with 45% of Dover properties not taxable, the burden on our taxpayers is heavier than other municipalities for all the services we provide. The presentation itself has the flash and dash that would cost a fortune to produce if it was not produced by our own Councilman Roy Sudler. I thought that after the analysis provided by a city solicitor Dan Griffith, CAMSA was being shelved by its sponsors.
Play from 1:54:23Oct 27, 2026, Council Committee of the Whole
I requested the clerk's office to provide you with copy of Dan's report, and the old news man in me gives me the feeling that this resurrection at this time seems to have a political overtone because it's valuable to a supporting candidate whether it passes or fails. I will apologize in advance if I've offended anyone. Of course the capital city of Dover, Delaware has an excessive burden that the pilot programs including the one from the state doesn't fully cover. Certainly the non-taxable properties do not cover their fair share even with the fees for usage.
Play from 1:55:11Oct 27, 2026, Council Committee of the Whole
Knowingly tossing this to the state legislature for approval of a charter change is flies in the face of reason. The attacks on this fire sprinklers in new housing units and the safety intersection proposal will be tiny to the attacks on the city faces when state the state, colleges, medical facilities, Kent County, federal government, and HUD listed on pages 17 through 20 fight back. That fight will be directed to us and directly to every state legislature. Even the suggested grants, the means of paying the fees for institutions can be offset by the cost, are cringeworthy under the current POTUS and his administration.
Play from 1:55:59Oct 27, 2026, Council Committee of the Whole
Will a complaint uh that CAMSA will cause uh uh uh CAMSA will cause healthcare costs to increase, tuition to rise? I don't know.
Play from 1:56:06Oct 27, 2026, Council Committee of the Whole
Even the work that has been required from staff to support CAMSA with actual dimensions of buildings and to be required to determine what fees will be uh uh be taking away staff from things that can be better used for other tasks, and we heard tonight about the RFP and the possibility of having it uh work uh sent out and it still be uh their their their problem uh nothing to compare when they're requested to defend CAMSA conclusions when legally challenged. For the record, here is the conclusion of the counselor's the solicitor's legal report. Conclusion, quote:
Play from 1:56:28Oct 27, 2026, Council Committee of the Whole
"CAMSA represents a regulatory fee spre- framework with meaningful fee-like attributes, including non-ad valorem metrics, explicit earmarks, segregation, and articulated service nexus. Nevertheless, there are certain vulnerabilities to the proposal. By the way of example, since the impacted properties already pay their fair share of infrastructures related to electric, water, and sanitary sewer, in the absence of data connecting the fees directly to the burden placed on the city by the remaining infrastructure services by these properties may lead the conclusion that CAMSA lacks the proportional and nexus factors that a court would apply.
Play from 1:57:10Oct 27, 2026, Council Committee of the Whole
This legal opinion is based on the information available today. We reserve the right to supplement or amend this legal opinion as more information becomes available. Very truly yours, Daniel A. Griffith." And that's end quote. What his conclusion implies is we'll face legally fees with no guarantee that we can win. To my under-
Play from 1:57:42Oct 27, 2026, Council Committee of the Whole
standing staff has been asked even though the council has not agreed to support CAMPSA, I think it should be prudent to treat CAMPSA as we do other proposals and vote as a council to refer it to staff or not in this case. I think we need to wait until after the November election, elections, to discuss this with legislators representing Dover as to their thoughts as to whether a charter change needed for CAMPSA or if it has a chance of passage and that will take the city politics out of the equation. I move to hold the strategy session on CAMPSA with members of the General Assembly representing Dover before the staff resumes the requested research. The reason for it, because of the financial situation that we are basically uh facing at this time. And that is a motion.
Play from 1:57:58Oct 27, 2026, Council Committee of the Whole
...meet with the members of the General Assembly representing Dover before staff resumes uh any requested research. It does not stop a thing.
Play from 1:59:54Oct 27, 2026, Council Committee of the Whole
Thank you, sir. Um first off, we need a charter change, do we not, in order to be if be able to implement this? Is that my understanding? So it's not up to us. If we need a charter change to do so, if the state legislature is not going to move forward, and the legislature is uh not not going to move forward, we can still go with CAMSA, it's just not going to get passed. So, the value of this discussion really is the desperate situation that the city faces. And that's the real value of it, that we need help, and we need other sources of income because even though we have DDP and we have um the area around the airport that's producing additional income and will continue to do so, uh the fact is that only 45% of our people of our uh our our of of, you know, 45% of of the uh nonprofits aren't paying, and now we're spreading this thing out. We've heard from one person who said no. This is so we're we're nonprofit. When this comes up, you're going to have a very hard time convincing the members of the legislature if we need a charter change. My understanding is that we do. And that's the reason to get the feel of our legislators to make sure that they're going to support us. If we don't want them, if they say they want are not going to do it, and if we still want to pass the resolution, we can do that. And as I said, I think there's a little politics that's being played at this time. I yield.
Play from 2:23:36Oct 27, 2026, Council Committee of the Whole
Aye.
Play from 2:36:49Oct 27, 2026, Council Committee of the Whole
And this Council session is now adjourned.
Play from 2:41:02Oct 26, 2026, Regular Council Meeting
You have before you this evening's agenda, and I'll entertain a motion for its adoption.
Play from 00:00Oct 26, 2026, Regular Council Meeting
Moved by Councilwoman Arndt and seconded by Councilwoman Pillsbury. Any discussion?
Play from 00:05Oct 26, 2026, Regular Council Meeting
All in favor, please say aye.
Play from 00:09Oct 26, 2026, Regular Council Meeting
The consent agenda: we have before you in the consent agenda those items that our council considered routine, non-controversial, and will be acted upon by a single roll call vote of the council. There will be no separate discussion of these items unless a member of council so request, in which the matter shall be removed from the consent agenda and considered as a separate item. What is the pleasure of the council?
Play from 00:12Oct 26, 2026, Regular Council Meeting
Item number—
Play from 00:35Oct 26, 2026, Regular Council Meeting
Councilman Anderson.
Play from 00:38Oct 26, 2026, Regular Council Meeting
Councilman Anderson has requested that item 10 be withdrawn in the allocation of the CDBG funds for the People's Community Center renovation project.
Play from 01:10Oct 26, 2026, Regular Council Meeting
It's been moved and seconded. Councilman, uh, item number 10 has been removed. Uh, now we need a roll call vote for the remainder of the consent agenda.
Play from 01:21Oct 26, 2026, Regular Council Meeting
Point of order.
Play from 01:30Oct 26, 2026, Regular Council Meeting
No, item 10.
Play from 01:42Oct 26, 2026, Regular Council Meeting
Madam Clerk, let's have a roll call vote on the consent agenda.
Play from 02:17Oct 26, 2026, Regular Council Meeting
We had a motion and a second. Do we have to vote on it?
Play from 02:24Oct 26, 2026, Regular Council Meeting
Yes, we had a second. Yes. That's item 10.
Play from 02:27Oct 26, 2026, Regular Council Meeting
Where do we stand?
Play from 02:37Oct 26, 2026, Regular Council Meeting
And if you remember, like in the action earlier, the consideration number 10, and the withdrawal of the reallocation of the CDBG funds for the People's Community Center renovation project.
Play from 02:42Oct 26, 2026, Regular Council Meeting
It's been moved and seconded. Any discussion on that? Yes.
Play from 05:39Oct 26, 2026, Regular Council Meeting
Now the question is, when we have the total agenda, will be—Mr. Brian, we talked about discussing it at all? No. No, not that. Okay. Thank you. Councilman Sudler.
Play from 05:43Oct 26, 2026, Regular Council Meeting
Well, we have to do the roll call on the withdrawal and the vote.
Play from 07:49Oct 26, 2026, Regular Council Meeting
Councilwoman Pillsbury.
Play from 08:03Oct 26, 2026, Regular Council Meeting
Item 10.
Play from 08:11Oct 26, 2026, Regular Council Meeting
Yes. Mine flipped now. It says 10.
Play from 09:20Oct 26, 2026, Regular Council Meeting
Passes unanimously. Okay, next, uh—
Play from 09:26Oct 26, 2026, Regular Council Meeting
Yes.
Play from 10:19