Statement by Wilmington City Council Regarding Transparency in Spending
Wilmington, Del. (July 18, 2017) Wilmington City Council President Hanifa Shabazz issued the following statement in response to a recent article in the News Journal regarding transparency and oversight of Council’s strategic fund allocations:
“Wilmington City Council takes its fiduciary responsibilities very seriously. We reject the notion that the tax-payer dollars managed by Council – and allocated in support of worthy organizations with meritorious history of providing critical services to Wilmington residents and especially children – lack accountability or transparency. To the contrary, Council’s budget and expenditures are available for review and available for public scrutiny and Saturday’s article substantiates that.
However, it was disappointing to see that much of the detail and information provided by Council was omitted from Saturday’s article. For example, there was no mention of Council’s work, since January, to develop a strategic plan – a document that will identify where the priority needs are throughout the city and where Council resources can best be deployed. It was disclosed back in November that the plan for strategic resource distribution would be based on priority need, however, there was no mention of that either. The article also failed to mention the on-going efforts of Council to review and identify opportunities for greater accountability and transparency in our current strategic fund allocation process, even though those details were communicated.
I’m confident that the strategic plan, slated for completion in September, coupled with our ongoing efforts to enhance oversight will ensure that Wilmington City Council continues to operate with the highest standards of accountability and transparency.”
For more information about this news release, contact:
Antoine L. Oakley
Director of Communications
Wilmington City Council
Phone: (302) 576-2140
Email: aloakley@WilmingtonDE.gov