Statements by David L. Anderson
833 statements from meeting recordings, newest meeting first.
Machine transcript. Statements are matched to this official by machine and can be wrong. Check the recording.
Jan 30, 2026, Council Workshop
Or namely the weather, but but anyway, thank you.
Play from 28:15Jan 30, 2026, Council Workshop
Paul, you want to touch quickly on the status of VanSant right now, unless—
Play from 46:09Jan 30, 2026, Council Workshop
I'm sorry.
Play from 46:15Jan 30, 2026, Council Workshop
Thank you. Um I wanted to uh ask about generation capacity. Uh you touched on it in in some ways, but uh what we what are we looking at? I and then in your slides you talked about uh some more traditional generation as a possibility, um. Um are there any partnerships? I know, you know, there's been talk forever about uh uh the people at Garrison adding a um a generator there. We've, in the past, had a partnership. I mean I'm I'm just curious is there anything online the next 5 years that we need to be thinking about?
Play from 1:00:02Jan 30, 2026, Council Workshop
I have a question regarding solar. Um is there if we looked at potential for and how would it impact this revenue-wise if we had more partnership to do things like DelTech has if uh if, you know, shopping centers etc. um uh did more solar in instead of
Play from 1:01:54Jan 30, 2026, Council Workshop
Yes, it was asked. It was, but go ahead.
Play from 1:06:01Jan 30, 2026, Council Workshop
And thank you for getting us back on schedule, more or less.
Play from 1:27:51Jan 30, 2026, Council Workshop
Thank you.
Play from 1:38:11Jan 30, 2026, Council Workshop
Yeah. Hey, thank you very much. Uh, thank you for the the job you've done. It's been a a tremendous year, and I just wanted to say thank you for that. And the building of the department and uh up it is it's been just uh tremendous and and I have a a lot of uh confidence in the future. And it's uh some of my questions have already been asked, but I so I'm going to just focus on a couple areas. One is uh uh there there definitely is, I've seen at NLC, there's definitely a a lot of uh movement in the space of uh AI and technology with uh helping the cities uh become more efficient and that some have tried um uh that to address some of the areas that uh uh Mrs. Sas has uh addressed. Uh because we, you know, sometimes we have to uh use tools not to replace people, but to augment people. And I importance of people though, and that's not just uh, you know, that you're a point of contact there, but that's a system-wide thing that has to be done. Not not as if it doesn't all fall on you. Obviously your expertise is where people will go for that, but just wanted to point that out. I think that that has a lot of potential, has some risk to it, but but that's something that I hope we uh explore in our 5-year plan. Um, the other aspect has to do with uh you have uh I want to thank you, I know that you're working on network and and the like, and I I echo uh Councilman Lewis. Um, we we definitely the the public uh has certain expectations. Uh now that the City of Dover set up in our infrastructure, um, aging, that uh we're falling short of those expectations and and that's definitely one of the uh top complaints that we're making because that we that people make to us uh after the typical ones that you would expect, safety and uh street infrastructure. Believe it or not, it's a lot after that, it starts to come to
Play from 1:59:46Jan 30, 2026, Council Workshop
Thank you. Um the um by the way, uh Council President Neil's definitely been advocating on that regard. Um uh we'll see, see where it goes, but we should all definitely support him uh and give our support to him on that. Um I have a uh just a question. Um how have you been uh
Play from 2:10:49Jan 30, 2026, Council Workshop
Uh thank you, Senator. The I want to first thank you for your time and and for uh for sharing with us. Um I guess uh my question deals with the the great work that you've done with the uh the safety funding,
Play from 2:23:28Jan 30, 2026, Council Workshop
and um and uh one, um sounds like there'll be no change in that uh dollar amount. And two, uh you're probably aware that we're we have a little struggle with language
Play from 2:24:03Jan 30, 2026, Council Workshop
I just have a follow-up. With regard to your equipment, I mean it's important, and it's a integral part of your department. Um, when you get—
Play from 3:13:15Jan 30, 2026, Council Workshop
That one's on.
Play from 3:17:22Jan 30, 2026, Council Workshop
Okay. Um, well, there's slightly a smaller audience than before, but uh we'll I'll pick up kind of where we left off. Um, first of all, what did you think of the departmental presentations? Were they useful, helpful?
Play from 3:17:25Jan 30, 2026, Council Workshop
You did.
Play from 3:18:30Jan 30, 2026, Council Workshop
For last, yeah.
Play from 3:18:33Jan 30, 2026, Council Workshop
Okay. I'll take some lessons, sir.
Play from 3:18:37Jan 30, 2026, Council Workshop
Thank you. And now, in those policies, including 8%, I mean that's not a law anywhere. I mean that's other places don't have and other places do. We could have it at 6.25, we could have it at eight, but it but as she says, if we make a change, don't think that the change happens overnight because there's a whole process that that we that's based upon that including, as you said, bond covenants and the like. It does they can be changed or they can be updated and we could refinance it or whatever, you know, but but but that change isn't going to We can change the policy with a snap of the finger practically, legislative metaphor, I mean it's not that, but, you know, in a month we could change the policy, but
Play from 3:53:05Jan 30, 2026, Council Workshop
the the effective time, it may take one or two years
Play from 3:54:29Jan 30, 2026, Council Workshop
before everything runs through. And that that's that's all. Yeah, I mean and and so I mean it's fair to have that discussion because if we don't have that discussion and update, then we don't know if that's what we want. Um and we we need to have that now so we can figure out if in a year that's where we want to be or or whatever. Um but there is, I mean, whether a number 8% is a magic number or not necessarily, but we have to have some number that equals at least in in my view at least one month of expenses. If it's not one month of the total budget, which is 8%, then at least 6.25 or something um because if you have a a shortfall in revenue, if you while you're waiting for money to come in, like uh we we have staggered income. Uh so we get our property taxes a certain time, we get uh another time we get um business license fees and rental fees, etc., and and the state gives money a certain time, the Feds uh give money on a certain schedule. But if you but the reason why you want to have a certain cushion is because you when you start your year, for instance, you're waiting for the mortgage companies to all come in with the property tax money, the state is shifting over money, and their checks aren't necessarily in. And so you want at least that month cushion to sort of keep our operations in continuity. Um like I said, it doesn't have to be 8%, it could be uh of the revenue, it could be 6 and a half, it could be but but whatever it is, you have it can't be much lower in my opinion and be as effective as we want if um because if you have something and you're rolling along and you it the state government's been very efficient, but suppose you you do have a state government that doesn't come up with a budget for a change, it could happen. Um that hasn't happened the last
Play from 3:54:35Jan 30, 2026, Council Workshop
what, 40 years. But but it, but it could happen and then, all of a sudden municipal street money's not there. Do you have to, you would have to be ready to put aside all those projects until that happened, or if the federal government didn't pay its electric bill, you know, you'd you'd, I mean, that, those, those are things that, and I'm not even talking about natural disasters or anything, but just, um, but but I, um, but I, I agree, I mean, there there's, uh, there are things we can look at and ask questions about, such as that that money's our money, do we use it? I mean, do, if we did have a year, um, do we really need to pay ourselves back? I mean, that's the, that's a question that I would ask, there, that's a different question, and that's a question I would like examined. I mean, did we, you know, we changed that, I mean, are those type of changes are are something that I would be more likely to want to look at.
Play from 3:55:55Jan 30, 2026, Council Workshop
Um I've toyed with the idea, I don't have any idea if it would even work, but one of the concerns we have frequently is our low income or lower income people uh and and the tax burden. Um could we consider a graduated property tax? Uh we do it for for for seniors, you know, we exempt the first x thousands of dollars of of for seniors for their their property tax. What if we said the first $20,000 of house value across the city were were weren't included in the taxes? You'd have to bump the rate up for the people who are above, but that might be a way to get get buy in for for the people who are struggling uh because it would it would minimize to some degree minimize their tax burden. So there's a number of things like that that we are kicking around just to see if they make any sense. I don't know if, at this point I don't I can't say yes or no, but and if there's any ideas that you all have for you know, I mean, whatever it is. You know, laugh laughingly a bake sale. I mean, it whatever it might be to to see if we can figure out ways to, you know, create some new some new revenues that are equitable, they're fair, they're easy to to administer, you know, what have you. Okay. Uh I'm done if there's any other questions or comments. You're all, we will stay here as long as you want us to. I thank you of all of you that were here, the four of you.
Play from 3:59:12Jan 30, 2026, Council Workshop
How do you how do you, and I wouldn't do it beforehand, but how do you uh how do you feel about doing some kind of community survey? Is that something we should be thinking about to get some, since we have such low input from--
Play from 4:01:08Jan 13, 2026, Council Committee of the Whole Meeting
Thank you, Mr. President. Uh uh thank you for coming here tonight and and thank you for bringing this to us. Um My first of all, I want to thank you for uh being willing to put a substantial investment in the city of Dover. Since the Boys and Girls Club has moved out of three all three of its Dover locations, there's been a major lack of service. Uh that even though other organizations uh have been stepping up in the last uh few years, it it still hasn't uh closed that gap uh totally. Um and so uh and I'm glad that now we have more diversity of organizations so that we're not dependent on one anymore. And that's positive. And I want to thank you for being part of that. Is um
Play from 43:20Jan 13, 2026, Council Committee of the Whole Meeting
my first question has to do with transportation. Are are you working with Capital School District with transportation and and what other transport- tation uh way ways to overcome the the transportation barrier uh for young people are there?
Play from 44:20Jan 13, 2026, Council Committee of the Whole Meeting
Thank you. That's Another question has to do with uh have you considered the possibility of uh conduit
Play from 44:41Jan 13, 2026, Council Committee of the Whole Meeting
bonds with uh like with the city or other sources to um to maybe uh finance that last 20%?
Play from 45:11Jan 13, 2026, Council Committee of the Whole Meeting
Conduit bonds.
Play from 45:23Jan 13, 2026, Council Committee of the Whole Meeting
Thank you. Just, maybe we won't need it. I mean, to me, if you can do it debt-free, do it debt-free. Um but if you uh, you know, you're you're almost there if you need to, you know, complete something uh, conduit bonds, uh the city and county both have programs. Um maybe something to investigate, as well. Um, I'm going to well, I'm just going to say thank you for sake of time. I'm just going to yield, Mr. President.
Play from 45:59Jan 13, 2026, Council Committee of the Whole Meeting
Thank you, Mr. President. For sake of time, I'm going to be really quick, and hopefully we'll be able to talk some other time in the near future. But you had me at 10% crime reduction. I yield.
Play from 1:12:54Jan 13, 2026, Council Committee of the Whole Meeting
They say, "Google me."
Play from 1:13:52Jan 13, 2026, Council Committee of the Whole Meeting
their community uh transportation funding uh if that railroad kickets, there are uh autistic children and the like who um who will be safer because of that. And and I I definitely want to be thank them for that. Then the uh and also um got to thank the uh Public Works Department uh for their work on some important uh utility work, particularly uh uh urgent uh water and wastewater replacement uh that that has to take place uh uh downtown in the and that's um and I will yield because of uh time. Thank you, Mr. President.
Play from 1:15:19Jan 13, 2026, Council Committee of the Whole Meeting
Thank you, Mr. President. I will uh give a moment. Let's see, do we have uh Mr. Shevock on tonight? Okay, terrific. Terrific, welcome sir. Mr. Garfield, welcome. Thank you for attending tonight.
Play from 1:29:43Jan 13, 2026, Council Committee of the Whole Meeting
The uh everyone's here. So the park that the uh Legislative, Finance, Administration Committee is now called to order.
Play from 1:30:23Jan 13, 2026, Council Committee of the Whole Meeting
At this time, we'll have uh a motion for the adoption of the agenda. Councilwoman Hall, um you will be recognized in a moment. Let me get you off mute.
Play from 1:30:36Jan 13, 2026, Council Committee of the Whole Meeting
Okay. Mr. President, uh you're recognized for a motion uh for adoption of the agenda as amended.
Play from 1:30:56Jan 13, 2026, Council Committee of the Whole Meeting
Uh there's going to be there's an amendment to uh defer um Item 1 to uh to the next meeting. So we will uh
Play from 1:31:07Jan 13, 2026, Council Committee of the Whole Meeting
Yeah, make sure it's Item 1. Yes. Uh Item 1 to the next meeting uh and uh and the rest of the agenda as presented. It's it's been moved. Is there a second?
Play from 1:31:19Jan 13, 2026, Council Committee of the Whole Meeting
All right. Any discussion? All those in favor?
Play from 1:32:15