Lawmakers Launch Committees to Probe Delaware’s First Property Reassessment in 40 Years

Senator David Skolola (D), Representative Melissa Minor-Brown (D), and Senator Bryan Townsend (D) Call for Bipartisan Solution.

Four public hearings this fall will review the reassessment process, property tax impacts, and education funding, as Republicans question the effort’s bipartisanship.

By Brent Burdge, Contributing Journalist, Delaware LIVE

DOVER — September 3, 2025 — Delaware lawmakers have created special House and Senate committees to review the state’s first comprehensive property reassessment in more than four decades, aiming to evaluate the process, its impacts on property taxes and education funding, and possible legislative responses.

House Speaker Melissa Minor-Brown (D) and Senate President Pro Tempore Dave Sokola (D) announced the committee assignments on Wednesday, emphasizing transparency and public engagement. The committees are scheduled to hold four public hearings between September and November, which will be livestreamed from Legislative Hall.

Purpose of the Committees

Legislative leaders said the committees are intended to identify lessons from the reassessment, recommend process improvements, and explore targeted tax relief options for Delawareans who may be facing significant property tax changes.

“We know that there are still a lot of unanswered questions about the reassessment process – both for Delawareans and for lawmakers,” said Speaker Minor-Brown. “These committees are about finding those answers and putting together a thoughtful roadmap that we can act on in the coming legislative session.”

Senate Majority Leader Bryan Townsend (D) said committee members were chosen for geographic balance and policy experience in housing and land use. “I look forward to putting our heads down and working together over the coming months to really drill down on what happened, and make recommendations about how we can move forward on behalf of the people of Delaware,” Townsend said.

Committee Membership

Senate Committee Members

• • Bryan Townsend (D) – Majority Leader
  • Elizabeth “Tizzy” Lockman (D) – Majority Whip
  • Brian Pettyjohn (R) – Minority Whip
  • Eric Buckson (R)
  • Dan Cruce (D)
  • Kyra Hoffner (D)
  • Russ Huxtable (D)
  • Spiros Mantzavinos (D)

House Committee Members

• • Melissa Minor-Brown (D) – Speaker
  • Kerri Evelyn Harris (D) – Majority Leader
  • Tim Dukes (R) – Minority Leader
  • Frank Burns (D)
  • Nnamdi Chukwuocha (D)
  • Kevin Hensley (R)
  • Eric Morrison (D)
  • Cyndie Romer (D)
  • Claire Snyder-Hall (D)
  • Michael Smith (R)
  • Kim Williams (D)

Public Hearings: Topics and Timeline

The committees will hold four public hearings this fall, each addressing a different set of issues:

1. Week of September 22 – Review of the 2024 reassessment process
   • County-level practices, Tyler Technologies’ methodology, intergovernmental coordination, error safeguards, appeals process, and an update on emergency legislation passed August 12.
2. Week of October 6 – Future reassessments and tax structures
   • Comparative models from other states, potential differentiated tax rates by property type or size, and county-level capacity to implement such systems.
3. Week of October 20 – Delaware property tax framework and exemptions
   • Programs for taxpayers on fixed incomes or facing hardship, comparison to other states, and potential updates to property tax exemptions.
4. Week of November 3 – Property reassessment and education funding
   • The reassessment’s relationship to Delaware’s education funding system and the legal settlement that prompted the 2024 reassessment, as well as coordination with the Public Education Funding Commission.

Republican Caucus Raises Concerns Over Process

Following the announcement, the House Republican Caucus issued a statement criticizing how Democratic leaders initiated the reassessment review effort, arguing that Republican proposals were sidelined and that the committees were formed without bipartisan consultation.

“Democrats hold overwhelming majorities in both chambers: 27 of 41 seats in the House and 15 of 21 in the Senate. And they’ve used these numbers to dictate the reassessment debate in an entirely partisan fashion,” the statement said.

Republicans said they were not given input or advance notice about the new committees and argued that earlier Republican-sponsored bills — including measures to double the senior property tax credit (HB 73) and limit tax hikes tied to reassessment (HB 245 and HB 246) — were ignored during the recent special session.

The statement also questioned the committee’s bipartisan nature:

“It’s clear Republican participation will serve only as window dressing, a superficial gesture intended solely to lend a veneer of bipartisanship to a process that is anything but.”

Looking Ahead

All committee meetings will be open to the public and livestreamed at legis.delaware.gov. Legislative leaders said additional details on the hearings and opportunities for public engagement will be announced in the coming days.

While Democrats frame the committees as a step toward transparency and solutions, and Republicans voice skepticism about the process, the hearings will give Delawareans a rare, statewide look at the property reassessment system and its potential long-term effects on taxes and school funding.

Sidebar: Key Hearing Schedule

Staff Writer

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