The General Assembly finds and declares that:

(a) Marshaling New Castle County resources in a concerted manner under “one roof” to focus on persistent neighborhood problems, as contemplated by this chapter, increases the possibility of successfully resolving systemic neighborhood problems.

(b) Preserving and improving neighborhoods is critical to the long-term well-being of the State and to New Castle County.

(c) The provision of enhanced services, including for example, district-wide sanitation and snow removal, within New Castle County’s neighborhoods would result in greater neighborhood stability and improved quality of life.

(d) Numerous jurisdictions around the world and the United States, including Philadelphia, Baltimore, Buffalo, and Allentown, among many others, have successfully implemented and been the beneficiaries of such enhanced services through the creation of neighborhood improvement districts.

(e) The enhanced services and related programs provided within a neighborhood improvement district are funded by property owners within each district, who are the primary beneficiaries thereof, which reduces additional demands on the strained public treasury.

(f) It is in the best interests of the State, County, and its residents to create, where feasible and desired by the property owners and residents in each district, assessment-based neighborhood improvement districts to promote more attractive and healthier neighborhoods.

(g) The County should be given broad discretion in establishing by ordinance the type of assessment-based enhanced services and programs that are most consistent with neighborhood needs, goals, and objectives as determined and expressed by property owners and residents in the district.

83 Del. Laws, c. 457, § 1;

Terms Used In Delaware Code Title 9 Sec. 3502

  • Enhanced services: means additional or increased services aimed at improving the ability of property owners and residents to enjoy a safer and healthier neighborhood due to the provision of expanded services, which include services such as district-wide street cleaning, district-wide snow removal, district-wide trash removal, and maintenance of open space. See Delaware Code Title 9 Sec. 3503
  • Neighborhood: means a limited geographic area situated within an unincorporated area of New Castle County and located in a residential district, the limits of which form the neighborhood improvement district boundaries, as identified on a filed record plan. See Delaware Code Title 9 Sec. 3503
  • Neighborhood improvement district: means a neighborhood, as identified on a filed record plan, in which a special assessment is levied on designated property, other than exempt property, for the purpose of promoting the general health and welfare of the district, hereinafter referred to as a "NID. See Delaware Code Title 9 Sec. 3503
  • State: means the State of Delaware; and when applied to different parts of the United States, it includes the District of Columbia and the several territories and possessions of the United States. See Delaware Code Title 1 Sec. 302
  • United States: includes its territories and possessions and the District of Columbia. See Delaware Code Title 1 Sec. 302