11 Point Plan
To Bring Delaware Back To Sanity & Prosperity
8
Make Sure Seniors Can Stay In Their Homes & Preserve Generational Wealth
All three Delaware counties are now undergoing court-ordered property value reassessments for the first time in decades. These changes are expected to significantly alter property tax bills for many residents, and will be particularly hard on those with fixed incomes.
Keeping Seniors in the homes they know and love is good for EVERYONE. Studies have repeatedly shown that Seniors that "age in place" live out their golden years much healthier (both physically AND mentally!) and happier. Moreover, preserving and growing generational wealth isn't possible if the biggest and most valuable family asset gets confiscated by nursing homes and assisted living facilities instead of being passed on to children and grandchildren.
As your State Senator, I will focus on the following initiatives for our Senior Citizens:
Introduce a Senior Citizen Real Estate Tax Deferral Program
This would allow seniors 65+ with income below $65,000 to defer property taxes. The interest rate would be capped at 6% annually on these deferred taxes, paid back upon sale or transfer of their homes. This would make the deferral manageable and ensure that the State will dependably recovers these funds in a sustainable way. Illinois currently has a similar program.
Implemented Caps On Property Tax Increases For Seniors
Delaware should have a cap on annual property tax increases for the a primary residence of seniors with annual incomes under $65,000. This would provide them with predictability and stability by limiting any property tax increases to a fixed percentage annually (e.g., 2%-3%) or a set dollar amount (e.g., $200/year). Florida's Amendment 10 Cap("Save Our Homes") is a similar concept.Expand the Utilization of Available Federal Resources
Delaware does not currently have a direct, large-scale program specifically leveraging Senior Housing and Services Grants from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) in the same way that some other states like California or New York do. Untapped federal funding is likely available for many of our Seniors for things like housing, healthcare, and caregiver support. Delaware State Government needs to make a greater coordinated effort in taking advantage of such programs on behalf of our seniors. We need to do everything we can to help our Seniors "age in place".