Sussex Official Says Collecting Water Tax An Expensive Problem

Gov. Jack Markell knows a proposed clean water tax is a tough sell. Collecting the tax via county property tax bills won't be easy either, at least in Sussex County.

For starters, Sussex County Administrator Todd Lawson said the county's computer system cannot provide data requested by the Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control to determine how the tax would be collected.

An upgrade to the system would cost tens of thousands of dollars, he said during a recent county council meeting. The county sends out more than 160,000 property tax bills each fall and already collects school taxes for every district in Sussex County, passing those funds on to the state.

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