HB 377 Summary

• Amends the Town of Dewey Beach charter to modernize annexation procedures by requiring notice publication in newspapers with general circulation in both the Town and proposed territory, posting at Town Hall and Life Saving Station, on the Town website, and personal letters to voters and property owners at least 15 days before public hearings and elections.

• Revises commissioner qualifications to remove tax delinquency requirements and clarifies provisions for resident commissioners and other commissioners regarding property ownership, trust arrangements, and lease requirements with mandatory lease documentation for leaseholder candidates.

• Updates voter qualifications to include leaseholders under valid 5-year or longer leases and non-resident trust settlors/trustees with recorded property conveyances, requiring documentation at voter registration.

• Replaces the three-member Auditors of Accounts system with an Audit Committee of at least three property owners (majority being residents) that oversees hiring of independent financial auditors and reviews annual financial statements, with audit summaries published in newspapers and full reports accessible on the Town website.

• Removes indefinite term language for Town Manager and Town Solicitor appointments, allows interim Town Manager appointments for up to 270 days, changes budget preparation timeline from November/December to February/March, and eliminates obsolete referendum procedures for ordinances.