This is the government website of the Village of Arden, Delaware, U.S.A.
Budget Referendum and Assessors Election Results
These two elections were conducted on Nov. 8. Out of 359 eligible voters, 241 voted – 67% participation! Thank you to all who voted.
The Board of Assessors for 2023 were elected in this order: Deborah Ricard (convener), Elizabeth Varley, Brooke Bovard, Denis O’Regan, Tom Wheeler, Vicki Scott and Shana Pinter. Thank you to Walter Borders, Bob Erenburg, Kelly Gillen, Simon Hamermesh, Sachin Puranik, Eric Reed, and John Scheflen, who were also willing to serve and allowed their names to be placed in nomination. Thank you to all the candidates who submitted statements so voters could be better acquainted with them and better informed about the Assessor’s job.
The Budget for FY 2023-2024 was passed. There were 34 ballots with itemized disapprovals, but with 189 votes for “approve the entire budget,” all items received more than the 181 votes needed for approval. You can see the list of itemized disapprovals in the Election Summary by clicking the link below. Below is also a link to the full results of the Budget Referendum, showing the budgeted amounts and total approval for each item.
Click here to see the election results Summary
Click here to see detailed Budget Referendum results
The Registration Committee thanks Bob Erenburg, Ellie Hansen, Barbara Henry, Carol Larson, Barbara Macklem, Jeff Politis and Bill Theis for assisting with the count.
TRASH COLLECTION now on TUESDAYS
Click this link for the latest information.
More links:
Is it yard waste or recycling this week?
Trash Schedule Oct-Dec 2022 click here. revised for new all-Ardens Tuesday collection
Ardens Trash & Recycling flyer Click here Updated for new all-Ardens Tuesday collection
What can you include in your single-stream recycling bin? See the DSWA poster here: delaware-recycles-poster.
Governance Task Force has convened
The special task force created by the Town Assembly has begun its challenging work reviewing the governing documents, ordinances and policies of the Village. You can see meeting announcements, a schedule of topics under consideration, and more by visiting their new web page.
Ardens Transportation Plan
Arden is teaming up with the villages of Ardencroft and Ardentown along with WILMAPCO, DelDOT, and other partners to produce a transportation plan by the summer of 2023. Residents and stakeholders will be engaged through surveys, public meetings, and other means to create a list of projects that together implement a vision of a safer, more accessible future for walkers, bikers, transit users, and motorists.
All residents and interested parties are encouraged to attend a public meeting, “Connecting the Ardens”, on Tuesday, October 25, 2022, at 6 PM at the Buzz Ware Village Center.
For more information, check out the Community Planning webpage, go to wilmapco.org/ardens, or contact the Community Planning Committee via email at planning@arden.delaware.gov.
Schroeder Trust Draft
Per the settlement agreed to by the town at the January 2019 Town Assembly Meeting, a draft trust structure for the Schroeder funds has been created. The draft Trust can be found at the link below. Look out for dates and times for upcoming open meetings to discuss the draft trust prior to the March Town Assembly Meeting.
Arden.Schroeder Trust 3
The Ardens Community and the Arden Club
Featured on WHYY TV’s “Movers & Makers”
Learn more about the Ardens and the Arden Club in this recently aired 30-minute program, Movers & Makers, produced by WHYY…
“The Village of Arden in Delaware was founded in 1900 by sculptor Frank Stephens and architect Will Price as a Single-Tax community. They wanted to create an Arts & Crafts colony that included people from all walks of life. Experience the early architecture, meet the talented artists and performers, and discover why so many people flock there every year to attend the Arden Fair.”
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.
Village Racial Justice Pledge
In September 2020 the Town Assembly approved the following motion:
The Village of Arden acknowledges that society is in a moment of significant transformation. Therefore, the Village pledges its support for working towards racial justice and for solidarity with all people of color both within our community and in the larger culture. Approved amendment: This will be posted on the Town website and sent to our local, state and federal representatives.
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 Craft Shop 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.