League of Women Voters of Sussex County
presents
The Second in a Series of Public Forums
on
PRIVATIZATION: ROADS: Who Owns Them? Who Pays?
Wednesday
February 15, 2012
10:00 am -- Noon
Beebe Medical Arts Building
Beebe Medical Campus on Route 24
Rehoboth Beach, DE 19971
There are 5,780 miles of public roads and highways in Delaware. All are maintained by the Delaware Department of Transportation (DelDOT) except for 6 miles on federal land and 667 miles of local streets in municipalities. However, there are an unknown number of miles of private streets in subdivisions and planned communities in Delaware where many Sussex County residents live.
- Who owns the road you live on?
- Should you be concerned?
- Why are subdivision roads private?
- What are the ramifications of this privatization?
- How are prospective homeowners informed of their responsibilities?
- Are there regulations or standards to ensure private roads are built to last and to accommodate emergency vehicles and snow removal equipment?
- If so, who sets the standards and who enforces them?
- Is your Homeowners Association setting aside enough money to pay for repairs and reconstruction when the roads wear out? * What if your community doesn't have an HOA?
- Are funds available from the state or county to help with repairs and maintenance?
These and other questions will be addressed by the following panelists:
- Vince Robertson, Counsel to Sussex County Planning & Zoning Commission
- Joe Wright,
DelDOT Director of the Maintenance and Operations Division
- Marc Cote, DelDOT Subdivision Engineer
- Fritz Schranck, Deputy Attorney General, DelDOT
- Martha Wright, Homeowner Association Property Manager
Now is the time to learn about ROADS in Sussex County.
Invite your friends and neighbors to join you at this event.
LWVSC presented the first in a series of Public Forums on The Privatization of Public Services
Water/Wastewater: Public or Private in Sussex County -- Who owns your water and should you care? was the topic of a January 11, 2012 public forum that attracted 75 attendees.
What are the ramifications of the trend toward privatization? How do these two services, publicly owned water and wastewater services versus privately owned stand up to one another in comparison? Does privatization create more efficiency and lower prices as promised? Is publicly controlled water supply really less efficient and more expensive? These were the questions addressed at the forum.
Click here for a report on the forum from the Cape Gazette.
Mark your calendar now for the rest of the privatization public forum series:
- February 15 at 10 am: Who Owns Your Roads: Who Pays?
- March 14 at 1 pm: Contracts: The Tie That Binds in Sussex County
- April 11 at 1 pm: Education: Public or Private in Sussex County. Let's follow the money
All forums will be held at Beebe's Medical Arts Building on the Route 24 Campus, Rehoboth Beach.
The privatization series is the LWV of Sussex County's approach to their participation in a LWVUS study of the issue. The LWVSC will hold a membership meeting in April to address questions raised in the LWVUS study. For details on the nationwide study, go to our Voter Education and League Studies page.
LWVSC has a new phone number. It's 302-200-1487. But we prefer email at sussexlwv@gmail.com.
League Testifies on County Council Redistricting. Representing the LWV of Sussex County, Jo Klinge testified at the County Council hearing on their redistricting plan on October 25. To see the comments, click here. The hearing was closed after her presentation but public comments will be accepted until noon, Friday, October 29. They may be emailed to redistricting@sussexcountyde.gov, mailed to Clerk of Council at PO Box 589, Georgetown, DE 19947, or FAXed to 855-7549. Comments must be received by noon Friday.
Although the League's statement was the only one presented at the hearing, Wolfgang von Baumgart, President of the Independent Party of Delaware, submitted a written statement for the record in which he "supports and applauds the Sussex
County League of Women Voters proposed redistricting plan as an exemplary citizens initiative." He also suggested that the current system is "too closed in nature and that the greater public interest would best be served by an independent redistricting commission." The League has long supported independent commissions for redistricting at all levels of government.
Coast Press Cheers LWVSC Website. The October 19, 2011, edition of the Coast Press in its "Cheers and Jeers" column on the editorial page, cheered this new website: "The League of Women Voters of Sussex County should be applauded for its efforts to improve its online presence. The organization's new website, which can be found at http://www.sussexlwv.org, features a calendar of events, ways to contact government representatives and instructions for registration and voting. Knowledge is power, and with more information available to the community, the group will find it easier to accomplish its goal of encouraging participation in government."
Sussex learns about core standards in education. Chris Minnich from the Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO) in Washington, DC, explained how that organization of state officials is developing voluntary core standards for math and English. This slide shows the principles that he presented at the League's public forum on October 12. For more details about the CCSSO, go here.
Minnich led the standards and assessment work at CCSSO where they are currently working on implementing common standards across states. The Delaware State Board of Education adopted the Common Core Standards a year ago. These standards are part of a movement to unify and coordinate across state lines. These common standards will help students who transfer from one school to another. All but six states have adopted them. It is hoped that they will be fully implemented by the 2012 school year. When they are established, parents will know what is expected and will be able, more easily, to get involved in their child's education.
The Sussex County League of Women Voters joined with other leagues across the country and with the LWVUS to study this issue in order to reach a consensus that will result in a national position
on Core Curriculum Standards and the Role of the Federal Government in Public Education. Results of the consensus should be available in early 2012. For more information about the League study/consensus process, go here.
LWVSC Update on Status of Redistricting Sussex County Council The League has prepared a slideshow documenting its 2011 project: Redistricting Sussex County Council. The slideshow explains what the League has done and the current status of the County's redistricting approach. To stop the slide so you have more time to read it, press the vertical double line at the bottom left of the screen. You can go back by using the < symbol at the left or go forward by pressing the > symbol on the right of that double line.
See Newsletters for the most recent Voter.
This website has only recently "gone live." Please send suggestions for additions and other improvements to webmaster@sussexlwv.org.
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