This is the government website of the Village of Arden, Delaware, U.S.A.
TRASH SCHEDULE for 2021. Click link below
Trash Schedule 2021 Is it yard waste or recycling this week?
New Trash & Recycling flyer (Nov 2021) Lots of information
Assessors Election & Budget Referendum results
The Registration Committee conducted the annual Budget Referendum and election of the Board of Assessors on Tuesday, Nov. 2. Despite major problems with delivery of the ballots through USPS, we were able to complete the election as planned. Participation was a bit low (61%), but sufficient to pass the budget. One item – Playground Capital Equipment – was defeated.
The Board of Assessors for the coming year (listed in the order they were elected) will be: Elizabeth Varley (convener), Deborah Ricard, Brooke Bovard, Tom Wheeler, Denis O’Regan, Vicki Scott and John Scheflen.
Thank you to Bob Erenburg, Kelly Gillen, Simon Hamermesh, Albert Marks, Michael Oates, Sachin Puranik, and Laura Wallace, who were also willing to serve and allowed their names to be placed in nomination.
Thank you to the candidates for their thoughtful statements about themselves and their candidacy.
The Registration Committee thanks Carl Falco, Barbara Henry, Rachel Kantner and Jeff Politis for assisting with the count. Jeff, Carl, and Larry Walker also helped in the hand-delivery of 173 ballots that the cost office had mistakenly returned to the town mailbox.
Below are links to the summary of election results and to detailed results of the Budget Referendum, showing the budget as passed and the amount of total approval for each budget item. These results are also posted on the Registration Committee’s Procedures & Records page and Budget Committee page.
Election result summary: Budget Referendum and Assessors Election
Budget Referendum details
American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA)
The Village of Arden is receiving more than $200,000 for Covid relief. See how these funds can be spent and be part of the process to decide what Arden should do with these funds. Check out the Community Planning Committee page to see more details.
From the September Town Meeting
• The decision was made at the Arden Town Meeting 9-27-2021 to transition from Waste Management to Trash Tech. Read about the transition to the new service in the flyer posted here.
At the Town meeting, the Civic Committee presented a detailed comparison of the two services. You can read it here: Recommended 2021 Trash, Recycling & Yard Waste Contract
• Stormwater Management Plan
Read the DRAFT here!
Water Quality Master Plan from Foresite Associates.
See the Appendices for the Stormwater Management Plan – go to the Forest Committee page
Here are a few interesting appendices:
- DE Best Management Practices (BMP) Standards and Specs here!
- Methodology for developing cost estimates here.
Watch the discussion of the Stormwater Plan from 9/8/2021:
Drew Hayes of Foresite Associates presents the first look at Arden’s Stormwater Master Plan. After a brief wait for others to join the Zoom meeting, the presentation starts around 4:31. Click on the link below.
Stormwater Mgmt presentation link.
• New Governance Task Force
The Community Planning Committee will make a motion to approve a Governance Task Force for the Village. Find a description of the new Task Force at this link:
Previously discussed at June 2021 Town Meeting:
• DelDot project at the Harvey/Marsh intersection.
This information has been moved to the Safety Committee page.
NEW! Arden map showing lot numbers and addresses
The Registration Committee created this map based on a digital map that Alton Dahl put together. (Thank you, Alton!) The committee uses it in their annual review of the Residents List. A number of people asked for a map like this through the Planning Committee’s web site survey – so your wish has been granted. The size is 11″ x 17″. This map does not include the “Avery property” addition to the Sherwood Forest. It is not a survey map, but every effort has been made to show accurate lot boundaries, several of which are incorrect on the County map. It is a work in progress and updates are made each fall. Please send any inaccuracies to the Registration Committee. Click the link to see the Arden Lot & Address Map. There is also a link using the Map heading in the top menu.
Coronavirus Updates
Please see the items in the sidebar for information about the next town meeting. Also, please check this website for any Arden-specific updates.
Here are some links to keep updated with the Ardens, the state, and the national situation:
• Click here to learn more about the State of Delaware’s response to COVID-19.
• For more information, go to either the Delaware Division of Public Health’s website – https://dhss.delaware.gov/
•The Buzz Ware Village Center is fully open again! See their website for current events space usage policy.
• Activities are happening at the Arden Club. See their website for the latest news. Watch the Arden Page for the latest ACRA events.
Non-Discrimination Policy
In September, 2016, we presented and approved a non-discrimination policy. At that time, a request was made to include “sex” in that policy. The officers agree with that addition and the updated policy now reads:
The Village of Arden does not and shall not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, gender, gender expression, age, national origin, disability, marital status, sex, sexual orientation, or military status, in any of its activities or operations. These activities include, but are not limited to, hiring and firing staff, selection of volunteers and vendors, and provision of services. We are committed to providing an inclusive and welcoming environment for all members of our staff, volunteers, subcontractors, vendors, residents, and visitors. The Village of Arden is an equal opportunity employer.
About the Village of Arden, Delaware
The Village of Arden was founded in 1900 as a Single Tax community based on the economic philosophy of Henry George, as well as the Arts and Crafts movement of William Morris and the Garden City movement of Ebenezer Howard. It is still noted for its arts, crafts, music, and theater. Half the land is forests and greens, which are not taxed. As a “Tree City USA,” our tree canopy is 73%. The Village is on the National Register of Historic Places.
With around 250 households and 500 residents, Arden is the oldest and largest of the three villages known as The Ardens: Arden, Ardentown, and Ardencroft. The communal land in each village, such as the woods and greens, is owned by each municipality while the land leased out for dwellings is owned by a trust; that is, people own their houses but pay rent on their leaseholds in the form of taxes. Those taxes — land rent — cover village, county, and local school expenses and are assessed on the square footage of each leasehold. Each village has a separate municipal government.
The Village of Arden has a town-meeting form of government, defined in the Act to Reincorporate of July 29, 1996.
For more about the history of the three Ardens, visit the Arden Craftshop Museum.
For a brief description of Arden government see “Arden: Here’s How It Works.”
If you use the printed Village of Arden Handbook as a reference to Arden government, click here to go to the Red Book Interactive Table of Contents for links to updates on every item in the Handbook. All the content of the Red Book, published in 1996, is on this website. Updates are now entered on the website.