UPDATED: Legislative Special Committees to Review Property Reassessment – Public Hearings Scheduled

September 28, 2025/Mari Lou

UPDATED – 09/28/25 – Schedule details for all four public hearings of the bipartisan Special Committee tasked with investigating Delaware’s recent statewide property reassessment have been set. The Special Committee is a bipartisan group of Representatives and Senators from both chambers which will hold hearings throughout the fall that focus on various aspects of the reassessment process and the organizations involved. The ultimate goal of these hearings is to provide Delawareans with a full and transparent accounting of the reassessment process and to recommend legislation that could improve the process and provide fairness to all taxpayers. The hearing will be held in the House and Senate chambers at Leg Hall. The will be livestreamed and will include dedicated time for public comment.

The committee will meet in accordance with the following schedule: 
 
Hearing # 1:
Tuesday, September 30 at 9:30 a.m.
Senate Chamber, Legislative Hall, 
411 Legislative Ave, Dover, DE 19904 
 
Hearing # 2:
Tuesday, October 7 at 9:30 a.m.
House Chamber, Legislative Hall, 411 
Legislative Ave, Dover, DE 19904 
 
Hearing # 3:
Tuesday, October 21 at 9:30 a.m.
House Chamber, Legislative Hall, 
411 Legislative Ave, Dover, DE 19904 
 
Hearing # 4: 
Tuesday, November 4 at 9:30 a.m.
Senate Chamber, Legislative Hall,
411 Legislative Ave, Dover, DE 19904 
 
Additional details, including confirmed presenters and agenda topics, will be released prior to each hearing.

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ORIGINAL STORY – 09/03/25 – A series of public hearings will be held this fall to review the property reassessment process and consider potential legislative action to improve the process. These special committees will also look at options to provide targeted tax relief for Delawareans. The first public hearing will be during the week of September 22 with a total of 4 scheduled into November. Each meeting will take place at Legislative Hall and will be open to the public as well as livestreamed on the General Assembly website.

Additional information from the House Majority Caucus:

“We know that there are still a lot of unanswered questions about the reassessment process – both for Delawareans and for lawmakers. These committees are about finding those answers and putting together a thoughtful roadmap that we can act on in the coming legislative session,” said Speaker Melissa Minor-Brown.
 
“Although significant challenges lie ahead, I am encouraged that our appointees, with their expertise and representation from all corners of the state, are prepared to move forward without delay.”
 
“We selected the Senate committee members based on a combination of geographic balance and housing and land use policy experience. These legislators have shown extraordinary care and diligence on this matter since we first were alerted to problems for our constituents,” said Senate Majority Leader Bryan Townsend. 
 
“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.”
 
Committee membership is as follows:
Senate:
  • Senate Majority Leader Bryan Townsend
  • Senate Majority Whip Elizabeth “Tizzy” Lockman
  • Senate Minority Whip Brian Pettyjohn
  • Sen. Eric Buckson
  • Sen. Dan Cruce
  • Sen. Kyra Hoffner
  • Sen. Russ Huxtable
  • Sen. Spiros Mantzavinos 
House:
  • House Speaker Melissa Minor-Brown 
  • House Majority Leader Kerri Evelyn Harris
  • House Minority Leader Tim Dukes
  • Rep. Frank Burns
  • Rep. Nnamdi Chukwuocha
  • Rep. Kevin Hensley 
  • Rep. Eric Morrison
  • Rep. Cyndie Romer
  • Rep. Claire Snyder-Hall
  • Rep. Michael Smith
  • Rep. Kim Williams
The special committees will meet in accordance with the following tentative schedule: 
 
Hearing #1: Week of September 22, 2025 
Topics: The Recent Reassessment 
  • What happened at the County level?   
  • What was Tyler Technology’s methodology, for both residential property and non-residential properties?   
  • How did information flow across levels of government?   
  • What flags were in place for unusual valuations?   
  • What was the appeals process, and what options do Delawareans have now?  
  • Preliminary update on the implementation of emergency legislation passed on August 12. 
 
Hearing #2: Week of October 6, 2025 
Topic: What might future reassessments and tax structures look like?  
  • What reassessment processes and structures do other states and jurisdictions use?  
  • Discuss potential for different tax rates based on property type (residential, commercial, agricultural, industrial). 
  • Discuss potential for different tax rates based on size within categories (small vs. large business, small vs. large agricultural).  Discuss different housing categories (homeowners, small rentals, large rentals, manufactured homes, second homes). 
  • Drill down on county capacity to adopt differentiated categories or tax rates within categories. 
  • Update on the implementation of August 12 legislation.   
 
Hearing #3: Week of October 20, 2025 
Topics: Delawareans and their property taxes 
  • What other considerations might drive changes to Delaware’s property tax framework? 
  • What programs are in place to protect Delawareans experiencing economic hardship or on fixed income? 
  • How do these programs compare to other states’ offerings? 
  • What updates to property-tax exemptions should occur given the first-in-40-years reassessment? 
  • Update on implementation of August 12 legislation. 
 
Hearing #4: Week of November 3, 2025 
Topics: Reassessments and Education Funding 
  • How does ongoing property reassessment relate to education funding with Delaware’s current funding system and to the legal settlement in the Court of Chancery case that sparked the 2024 reassessment? 
  • Discuss the work of Delaware’s Public Education Funding Commission and others to identify optimal coordination of efforts relating to education funding. 
Each meeting will take place in the House or Senate Chamber in Legislative Hall. All meetings will be open to the public and will be livestreamed at legis.delaware.gov. Additional details about the hearing schedule and opportunities for public engagement will be announced in the coming days.
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