🚧 Traffic Advisory – atTAcK addiction 5K Run | Saturday, March 7 🚧
🚧 Traffic Advisory – atTAcK addiction 5K Run | Saturday, March 7 🚧
The atTAcK addiction 5K Run returns to New Castle this Saturday morning. This event supports individuals and families impacted by addiction.
Residents should expect temporary road closures and traffic delays along the race route between approximately 8:30 AM and 11:00 AM. Please follow the directions of traffic control officers and event personnel and allow extra travel time.
📍 Event Parking:
- William Penn High School
- George Reed Middle School
Shuttle service will be available.
🗺️ Please review the race route map attached.
Thank you for your patience as we support this important community event.
New Castle Hundred Lions Club 2025 Halloween Parade Has Been Canceled
Due to the impending inclement weather on Thursday, 10/30, the New Castle Hundred Lions Club has canceled the 2025 Halloween Parade. Have a safe and happy Halloween and we look forward to next years parade.
Testing of New Brining System to Begin
Notice: Please be advised that over the next few weeks, the City will be testing the new street brining system on the streets to prepare for the winter weather. Only water will be utilized for the testing period.
City of New Castle Announces New Tax Rate & Expanded Exemptions for Fiscal Year 2026
City of New Castle Announces New Tax Rate & Expanded Exemptions for Fiscal Year 2026
On Thursday, June 26th, City Council approved the Fiscal Year 2026(FY 2026) Budget for the period of July 1, 2025- June 30, 2026, after a thoughtful and lengthy budget season. Council also adopted the new County property assessments and determined the “rollback rate” from the previous tax rate, to be .23799 per $100 of assessed value. The “rollback rate’ is the amount which would provide the City with the same amount of revenue as the old county taxable value with the new county taxable value. The previous tax rate was 1.2 of $100 of assessed value which generated $3.1 million and the “rollback rate” of .23799 per $100 of assessed value would also generate that same amount of revenue. After careful consideration and determining the need for additional revenue, City Council determined that it was necessary to raise City taxes for Fiscal Year 2026 to .35635499 per $100 of assessed value. Tax Bills will be sent out in July 2025.
Senior Citizen Property Tax Exemption and Disability Tax Exemption Extended through September 1, 2025 for Fiscal Year 2026 tax billing.
During the Fiscal Year 2026 Budget process, City Council approved ordinances to extend the deadline for Senior Citizen Property Tax Exemptions and Disability Tax Exemptions through September 1, 2025 and have raised the income limits and exemption amount on assessed valuation to allow for more residents to take advantage of the program. Residents who have already applied and have been accepted to receive a tax exemption for Fiscal Year 2026, do not need to re-apply for Fiscal Year 2026. Residents must re-apply each year to ensure the below qualifications are met.
Here are the details:
- Single property owners whose income, excluding social security, shall not exceed $25,000 are eligible for exemption
- Married property owners whose income, excluding social security, shall not exceed $50,000 are eligible for exemption
- Exemptions are applicable to the first $173,000 of assessed valuation, for those who meet the eligible criteria
- Property Owners must reside at the property or in an assisted living facility to qualify for the exemption
To see if you qualify for the exemption, please schedule an appointment with Diane Delgado, Finance/HR Specialist to complete your application. Please call the City Administration Office to schedule your appointment (302) 322-9801.
What to bring:
- Driver’s License or ID
- Copy of 2024 Federal IRS and State Division of Revenue Income Tax Return filed in 2025
- For Disability Tax Exemption, please provide your social security statement/ medical letter.
Delayed Interest on Late Tax Payments through December 1, 2025 for Fiscal Year 2026 tax billing:
Interest charges in the amount of 6% in October and 1.5% each month after are typically applied. For Fiscal Year 2026, taxes paid on or after October 1, 2025 are subject to an interest charge of 1.5% October, an additional interest charge of 1.5% in November and 6% for the month of December. For each consecutive month after December, an additional interest charge of 1% will be applied.
Mosquito Spraying
Today, Tuesday, May 20, 2025, DNREC will be spraying in the Army Creek and Broad Dyke marshes in New Castle to prevent significant mosquito emergence.
All insecticides to be used are registered with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for mosquito control and will be applied according to EPA-approved label instructions. The EPA has determined that the insecticides to be used do not pose unreasonable risks to human health, wildlife, or the environment.
For further information, please visit the Mosquito Control website at http://de.gov/mosquito
Avian Influenza
Geese
Hunters and Wildlife Watchers Encountering Dead or Sick Wild Birds, Especially Snow Geese, Are Advised to Report Location to DNREC
DOVER, Del. (Jan. 22, 2025) – The Delmarva Avian Influenza Joint Information Center announced today that the Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control (DNREC) and the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) Wildlife Services are collaborating to collect sick and deceased snow geese and other wild birds that may have succumbed to the outbreak of avian influenza currently spreading throughout the state. The expanded statewide collection effort to help track the bird flu is funded through DNREC and the Delaware Department of Agriculture (DDA).
Sick or dead wild animals found in Delaware during the avian influenza outbreak or at any time of year, are to be reported to the DNREC Wildlife Section. Reporting deceased or ill wildlife does not guarantee that DNREC and APHIS Wildlife Services will respond to every report, only that a DNREC or APHIS Wildlife Services representative will assess the report, and if additional information is needed, may make follow-up contact.
State authorities also reiterated that the public should not pick up or handle any sick birds. Dead birds should not be picked up unless disposable plastic gloves are worn to handle them. This guidance also applies to waterfowl hunters – as the DNREC Wildlife Section has been made aware of hunters examining their harvest then moving ducks or geese to a game bag or carrying strap without following recommended precautions for wild birds that might have contracted avian influenza.
- Anyone encountering sick or dead wild birds on private or public property should report their findings immediately to State authorities.
- Report sightings of sick or dead wild birds through the DNREC Division of Fish and Wildlife’s sick, injured or dead wildlife reporting form.
- Notify DDA if you find sick or dead poultry on your farm at health@delaware.gov.
- If a resident finds a dead wild bird on their property and wants to remove it themselves, they should wear proper personal protective equipment (PPE), including gloves, a mask, and safety glasses, to dispose of it. Double-bag each dead bird found, zip-tie the bag and put it in the trash bin for pickup and disposal at a Delaware Solid Waste Authority landfill. Residents are also advised to carefully remove and dispose of all PPE in the dedicated trash bags and always wash their hands afterward.
- Additionally, waterfowl hunters are advised to follow more focused protocols from APHIS for handling and field dressing any wild fowl they harvest in Delaware during an avian influenza outbreak.
Avian influenza is a highly contagious airborne respiratory virus that spreads quickly among birds through nasal and eye secretions and manure. Snow geese, which are waterfowl, are known to migrate from the Arctic and form large flocks in Delaware each winter. Due to close contact with thousands of other snow geese while feeding and roosting, they can get sick and die. It is unknown when or where the snow geese may have acquired the virus given their highly migratory nature and association with other waterfowl and waterbirds throughout the Atlantic Flyway through which they travel into Delaware and more southern states.
While the H5N1 virus has infected a small number of people across the U.S., there is no documented transmission of the virus between people in this country. Though the continued testing of people in close contact with animals infected with HPAI indicates a low risk to the general public’s health, children and pets should be kept away from wild birds and bird droppings.
If anyone in contact with wild birds or poultry begins to experience flu-like symptoms, please contact the Delaware Division of Public Health Office of Infectious Disease Epidemiology at 888-295-5156 (after hours) or 302-744-4990 (business hours) for a referral to a DPH clinic to obtain a flu swab test. Flu-like symptoms include fever, cough, sore throat, congestion, body aches, fatigue, and sometimes diarrhea. If symptoms seem severe, including trouble breathing, chest pain or pressure, dizziness/confusion, severe muscle pain, seizure, severe weakness or unsteadiness, worsening of chronic medical conditions, or fever or cough that begin to improve and then worsen or return, please dial 911 or visit the emergency department. Let hospital staff and providers know if you have been exposed to poultry or wild birds.
For more information about avian influenza impacting wildlife, visit the DNREC website.
For more information on avian influenza and the State poultry industry, visit de.gov/poultry.
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Media Contacts:
All media inquiries related to avian influenza should be directed to the Delmarva Avian Influenza Joint Information Center at JIC@delaware.gov.
SEPARATION DAY 2024
Celebrate Separation Day in Historic New Castle!!
https://www.separationdayde.com/schedule.php
302 Connections-Door to Door Sales
Beginning in January 2024, 302 Connections, a marketing company working with Direct Energy, will be making sales calls door-to-door in the City of New Castle. Direct Energy promotes alternative sources for electricity and natural gas. The city has issued a permit allowing them to make these calls. The issuance of the permit is not an endorsement of their services, it merely gives them permission to make the sales calls.
As a municipal power provider, our MSC has exclusive rights to sell electricity in the City of New Castle. This means the only service you could choose to purchase through Direct Energy is natural gas since Delmarva Power does not have exclusive rights to sell power here.
The following conditions apply to 302 Connections’ activity within the City of New Castle:
- They may not make sales calls prior to 10am or after 7pm
- They have provided the City of New Castle with a list of the names of all people who will be making sales calls.
- Each person making sales calls should have a copy of the permit issued by the city which they must show to residents upon request.
Efficiency Smart’s Black Friday Specials
Don’t miss Efficiency Smart’s Black Friday specials! Save big on smart thermostats, air purifiers, and dehumidifiers on its Online Savings store starting on 11/6. Offer valid while supplies last. Visit www.efficiencysmart.org/new-castle-delaware and select “Online Savings” or call Efficiency Smart at 877-889-3777 for more information.
Updated Mosquito Control – West Nile Virus Detected
Message from DNREC
West Nile virus has been detected from one of our chickens within the city that we use to monitor for such. This of course is not uncommon for this location (in woods across from Trolley Barn). As usual, we will be attempting to address via some spraying to reduce the older, adult mosquitoes in the area that are most likely driving the transmission cycle. We plan to do this via truck spraying this evening between 9pm – 11pm (8/28/2023) in the neighborhoods of Baldton, New Castle Manor, Van Dyke Village, the Twin Spans Industrial Park grounds and around Glebe Cemetery.
The best thing a person can do to protect themselves from mosquito-borne disease is to reduce or eliminate mosquito bites. This is done by wearing light colored, long-sleeve clothing, insect repellent, avoiding time outdoors around dusk and dawn, avoiding areas with high mosquito presence and removing all standing water on properties where mosquitoes can breed.
For more information please click links below.
220 Delaware Street • New Castle, DE 19720
Phone: (302) 322-9801
Original design and concept by the Delaware GIC
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