Regular Meeting of Wilmington City Council

Thursday, February 5, 2015 at 6:30 p.m.

Council Chambers
Louis L. Redding City/County Building
800 North French Street, Wilmington, Delaware 19801

AGENDA

  1. Call to Order
    Invocation
    Pledge of Allegiance
    Roll Call
  2. Approval of Minutes
  3. Committee Reports
  4. Acceptance of Treasurer's Report

5. Non-legislative Business

All Council Sympathy Joseph H. Alston, Sr.
All Council Sympathy former Wilmington City Councilman Eric D. Robinson
M. Brown Sympathy Evelyn Perkins
Wright Recognize Apostle Thomas Wesley Weeks

5. Legislative Business

Darius J. Brown: 3rd District

Agenda #4016
Resolution
Pending		 Urging Delaware’s United States Senate delegation to support the nomination of Loretta Lynch as U.S. Attorney General
Synopsis This Resolution is being presented by City Council for Council’s review and approval. If approved, Council would be urging the United States Senate to confirm Loretta Lynch as the next U.S. Attorney General. Her nomination by President Obama is currently pending in the Senate. Loretta Elizabeth Lynch is the current United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York. Her current tenure as U.S. Attorney began in 2010, and she previously held the position from 1999−2001. As U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, Lynch oversees federal prosecutions in Brooklyn, Queens, Staten Island and Long Island. On November 8, 2014, President Obama nominated her to succeed Eric Holder as Attorney General of the United States.

Justen A. Wright: At-Large

Agenda #4017
Resolution
Pending		 Supporting efforts of State legislators, the Delaware Secretary of Education and Governor Jack Markell to raise the State’s compulsory school attendance age from 16 to 18
Synopsis This Resolution is being presented by City Council for Council’s review and approval. If approved, Council would be supporting the efforts of the Mayor, Governor, State Education Secretary and State Legislators to raise the age of compulsory school attendance from 16 to 18 years of age. Such a change would help improve the current drop-out problem in Wilmington where as high as 27% of the school population leaves school before graduation as opposed to just 3% of the statewide school population in Delaware. Under current State law, students may choose to drop out of school at the age of 16.
Agenda #4018
Resolution
Pending		 Supporting HB 30, which expands special education services to "basic" students in Pre-K through third grades
Synopsis This Resolution is being presented by City Council for Council’s review and approval. If approved, Council would be supporting House Bill #30 in the Delaware General Assembly which amends Title 14 of the Delaware Code related to public schools. Specifically, House Bill #30 would expand special education services to children in Pre-K through third grades. Currently, the state provides funding for only intensive and complex special education needs for children in these lower grades, but does not provide “basic” special education funding for conditions such as developmental delays and ADHD among others. Adoption of this Resolution would also further a Federal mandate that requires schools to meet the need of disabled students. Delaware is one of only three states which the Department of Education determined “needed intervention” to help it fulfill the federal requirements for disabled students.
  1. Petitions and Communications
  2. Adjournment