2023 Delaware Code › Title 9 - Counties › Chapter 41. GOVERNMENT OF KENT COUNTY › Subchapter II. Powers and Duties › § 4110. General powers; county government procedures; ordinances.

§ 4110. General powers; county government procedures; ordinances.
(a) In addition to the powers specifically enumerated by statutes in this title and elsewhere, the government of Kent County shall assume and have all powers which under the Constitution of the State it would be competent for the General Assembly to grant by specific enumeration, and which are not denied by statute, including, but not limited to, any powers conferred prior to July 3, 1985, the General Assembly upon Kent County, or upon the Levy Court of Kent County, or upon the Levy Court Commissioners of Kent County, or upon the officers or employees of Kent County, or upon counties generally, or upon Levy Court Commissioners generally or upon the Levy Court generally.
(b) This grant of power includes the power to:
(1) Fix a tax rate upon the assessed valuation of all real property in Kent County, subject to assessment by the County;
(2) Fix an additional tax rate upon the assessed valuation of all real property, subject to assessment, located in unincorporated areas in Kent County for the limited purpose of providing financial support for public safety services to be provided by the County, or its agents to unincorporated areas of Kent County; and
(3) Add surcharges on any application for a building permit issued by the county:
a. In an amount not to exceed .5% of the construction value applicable to said building permit application to provide funding for volunteer fire companies; and
b. In an amount not to exceed 1.25% of the construction value applicable to said building permit application to provide funding for the local share of any school capital construction program having received a Certification of Necessity from the Secretary of Education of the Department of Education pursuant to § 7510 of Title 29, as amended; provided however, this surcharge shall not be applicable to an application for a building permit having a construction value of $30,000 or less and such application is made after the issuance of the original certificate of occupancy.
(c) This grant of power does not include the power to enact private or civil law concerning civil relationships, except as incident to the exercise of an expressly granted power, and does not include the power to define and provide for the punishment of felonies.
(d) This grant of power does not repeal or modify the doctrine of sovereign immunity as it now exists so as to broaden or increase the limitations of legal actions against Kent County.
(e) This grant of power includes the right of the Levy Court to receive moneys or grants from this State or the United States; and the Levy Court may enter into agreements or contracts with this State or the United States relating to such moneys or grants. The Levy Court may enact resolutions providing for programs and services for purposes for which the federal or state funds are granted to the County and to spend out of County funds any share required as a condition of the grants.
(f) The powers of Kent County shall be construed liberally in favor of the County, and specific mention of particular powers in this title shall not be construed as limiting in any way the general powers stated herein.
(g) (1) The county government shall meet regularly. The place and dates of such meetings shall be established by the county government as a part of the rules of procedure adopted for the conduct of its meetings. Special meetings may be held on the call of the President of the county government or of a majority of the members of the county government in accordance with rules adopted as a part of the rules of procedure of the county government.
(2) The county government shall determine its own rules and order of business and shall provide for keeping a journal of its proceedings which shall be a public record.
(3) Voting, except on procedural motions, shall be on roll call and the ayes and nays shall be recorded in the journal. A majority of all members of the county government shall constitute a quorum, but a smaller number may adjourn from time to time and may compel the attendance of absent members in the manner and subject to the penalties prescribed by the rules of the county government. No action of the county government, except as otherwise provided in this title, shall be valid or binding unless adopted with the concurrence of a majority of all of the members of the county government.
(h) All actions of the county government which shall have the force of law shall be by ordinance.
(i) (1) Every proposed ordinance shall be introduced in writing and in the form required for final adoption. No ordinance, except those relating to the budget or appropriation of funds and those relating to the adoption or revisions of the County Code, shall contain more than 1 subject which shall be clearly expressed in its title. The enacting clause shall be “The County of Kent hereby ordains.” Any ordinance which repeals or amends an existing ordinance or part of the County Code shall set out in full that part of the ordinance, sections or subsections to be repealed or amended, and shall indicate the matter to be omitted by enclosing it in brackets and shall indicate new matter by underscoring or by italics.
(2) An ordinance may be introduced by any member at any regular or special meeting of the county government. Upon introduction of any ordinance, the Clerk of the county government shall distribute a copy to each elected official of the county governing body and to the County Administrator; shall file a reasonable number of copies in the office of the Clerk of the county government and such other public places as the county government may designate; shall, in 1 newspaper in general circulation in the county, publish in bold type the ordinance or the title thereof together with a notice setting out the time and place for a public hearing thereon by the county government; and shall produce a sufficient number of copies thereof to meet reasonable demands therefor by interested citizens and others who may be affected by such ordinance. The public hearing shall follow the publication by at least 7 days, may be held separately or in connection with a regular or special county government meeting and may be adjourned from time to time, and all persons interested shall have a reasonable opportunity to be heard. The county government may make rules governing the holding of public hearings. After the public hearing, the county government may adopt the ordinance with or without amendment or reject it, but if it is amended as to any matter of substance which is not embraced within the title of the ordinance, the county government may not adopt it until the ordinance or its amended sections have been subjected to all of the procedures hereinbefore required in the case of a newly-introduced ordinance. As soon as practicable after adoption of any ordinance, the Clerk of the county government shall number the ordinance and have it, or its title, published again, 1 time in a newspaper of general circulation in the County, together with a notice of its adoption.
(3) Except as otherwise provided in this title, every adopted ordinance shall become effective immediately unless the ordinance itself stipulates a different date.
(j) To meet a public emergency affecting life, health, property or the public peace, the county government may adopt emergency ordinances, but such ordinances may not levy taxes, grant, review or extend a franchise, or authorize the borrowing of money except to issue emergency notes as provided by law. An emergency ordinance shall be introduced in the form and manner prescribed for ordinances generally, except that it shall be plainly designated as an emergency ordinance and shall contain, after the enacting clause, a declaration stating that an emergency exists and describing it in clear and specific terms. An emergency ordinance may be adopted with or without amendment or rejected at the meeting at which it is introduced. After its adoption, the ordinance shall be published and printed as prescribed for other adopted ordinances. It shall become effective immediately upon adoption or at such later time as it may specify. An emergency ordinance may be repealed by adoption of a repealing ordinance in the same manner specified in this section for adoption of emergency ordinances.
(k) The Clerk of the county government shall authenticate by his or her signature and record in full, in a properly indexed book kept for that purpose, all ordinances and resolutions adopted by the county government.
(l) The surcharges otherwise added by paragraph (b)(3) of this section shall not be added to building permits applied for by an organization exempt from tax under § 501(c)(3) of the federal Internal Revenue Code [26 U.S.C. § 501(c)(3)] which provides owner-occupied housing to low and moderate income households by rehabilitating residential properties and reselling said properties without profit, nor to the Delaware State Housing Authority nor to any applicant funded by the Delaware State Housing Authority.
65 Del. Laws, c. 101, §  1;  65 Del. Laws, c. 450, §  3;  70 Del. Laws, c. 186, §  1;  74 Del. Laws, c. 92, §  1;  75 Del. Laws, c. 408, §§  1, 2, 4;