HB 463

                SPONSOR:
                Rep. K. Williams & Rep. Michael Smith & Sen. Walsh
                Reps. Burns, Chukwuocha, Minor-Brown, Morrison, Romer, Snyder-Hall, S. Moore, Ortega
        HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
        153rd GENERAL ASSEMBLY
        HOUSE BILL NO. 463
        AN ACT TO AMEND TITLE 14 OF THE DELAWARE CODE RELATING TO LOCAL SCHOOL TAXES.
        BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF DELAWARE:
        Section 1. Amend § 1902, Title 14 of the Delaware Code by making deletions as shown by strike through and insertions as shown by underline as follows:
        § 1902. Power of district to levy taxes for school purposes.
        (a) Any district may, in addition to the amounts apportioned to it by the Department of Education or appropriated to it by the General Assembly, levy and collect additional taxes for school purposes upon the assessed value of all taxable real estate in the district, except any of the following:
        (3)
        a.
        Real estate exempt from taxation under a county ordinance adopted on or before January 1, 1998, granting, clarifying, or expanding any exemption from county taxation. Upon a county-wide reassessment under § 8306(b) of Title 9, a county shall, by subsequent county ordinance, modify these exemption
         amounts.
        amounts to reasonably reflect changes in property value and inflation.
        b. Beginning in the 2027 fiscal year, for school tax exemption determinations, New Castle County must use the same eligibility criteria and exemption amount used for exemption from county property taxes that was required for the fiscal year that began on July 1, 2025 based on county ordinances effective at that time.
        SYNOPSIS
        This Act requires modifications to exemptions from county taxation to reasonably reflect changes in property value and inflation. This Act also requires New Castle County to use the same eligibility criteria and calculation formula for exemption from school taxes that it used for county taxes in the fiscal year that began July 1, 2025.