New Castle County Releases Tax Totals After Reassessment; Council To Address Concerns

Residents have reported steep increases in their property tax bills following the county’s reassessment, prompting concerns and calls for answers from New Castle County Council. (Photo by Artful Homes on Unsplash)

New Castle County has posted property tax totals for the 2025 tax year following the county’s first full property reassessment in more than 40 years.

Residents can now view their tax amounts on the County’s Parcel Search website, with detailed bills set to be mailed the week of July 21.

The new tax rates for unincorporated areas are $0.1575 per $100 of assessed value for residential properties and $0.2380 per $100 for non-residential properties, both down significantly from the previous flat rate of $0.8054. The reassessment was designed to be revenue neutral, meaning the County will not collect more tax revenue overall in Fiscal Year 2026 than it did in Fiscal Year 2025, not including revenue from new construction.

Tax bills now posted online reflect any approved exemptions, though only total amounts are currently available. A full breakdown will be provided in the mailed version and uploaded to the website simultaneously.

The County received more than 5,200 appeals following the reassessment. Reviews are ongoing, and formal hearings are scheduled to begin this month. Residents who filed appeals but did not receive a decision before the September 30 tax deadline have multiple payment options, including partial payment of undisputed amounts or paying in full and receiving a refund with interest if the appeal is successful.

While County tax bills are separate from school district taxes, many residents are also seeing increases in their total bills due to changes in local school taxes, which are set by individual districts.

Councilmembers call for answers as reassessment frustration grows

At the July 15 Land Use Committee meeting, Councilmember David Tackett (11th District) raised concerns about the reassessment and the resulting tax bills.

“We need to have the latest update on what is going on and what has happened with this reassessment,” Tackett said. “People all over this county are extremely upset.”

Tackett said residents are seeing increases from several hundred to over a thousand dollars in some cases, and while school taxes account for much of the jump, people deserve more transparency.

“People are seeing anywhere from 500 to probably $1,500 increases in their taxes,” he said. “I think everybody deserves some kind of a breakdown.”

Councilman Jea Street pointed out that the reassessment process was not within the council’s authority.

“Make it clear, council doesn’t have any authority over this,” he said.

Councilman George Smiley, co-chair of the Finance Committee, emphasized that while the reassessment was mandated, County government did play a role and now bears the responsibility of transparency.

“This is about the process that New Castle County, Kent County, and Sussex County did have some control over,” Smiley said. “Council members are getting the phone calls, the emails, the text messages, inquiring as to what took place and why we are where we are now.”

Council refutes allegations of unequal tax treatment

Critics have accused New Castle County of leaving high-value properties—such as large developments and corporate-owned parcels—either under-assessed or untaxed during the reassessment process. Some argue this shifted the burden onto residential homeowners, prompting outrage and widespread confusion.

But councilmembers say those claims are based on misunderstandings or outdated information. In cases where properties were not immediately assessed, they say the issue was due to processing delays—not omissions—and that taxes will still be collected retroactively once finalized.

Several councilmembers expressed frustration with how the issue has been presented by state lawmakers and online commentators.

Councilman Kevin Caneco criticized misinformation being circulated by some legislators.

“Certain state legislators now are misleading the public,” Caneco said. “We all know one thing—the reason that 10% increase went on is because of state code. Fix the state code, to those Delaware legislators who are misleading the public about how the county didn’t assess certain properties, which is a bunch of nonsense.”

Councilman John Cartier brought up a similar concern, pushing back on claims that the County failed to properly tax certain properties.

“The accusation being made is that we didn’t collect taxes on properties; they were delayed,” he said, referring to residual assessments.

Council to address resident concerns in upcoming Finance Meeting

In closing, Council President Monique Williams-Johns acknowledged the tension between the council’s limited authority and the growing pressure to respond to residents’ concerns.

“I know this is out of our jurisdiction, and I keep hearing it over and over again,” she said. “And although it is, we still have to remember that the taxpayers are paying property tax, so we have an obligation and responsibility to answer some of these questions.”

A more detailed explanation of the reassessment process and its impact on residents’ tax bills will be presented at the next New Castle County Finance Committee meeting, scheduled for next week.