This is the government website of the Village of Arden, Delaware, U.S.A.
Election results: Budget Referendum, Assessors Election, Special Referendum
Votes were counted Wednesday night, Nov 8, at the Buzz Ware Village Center. There were 356 eligible voters; 256 voted, for a 74% participation. All items on the Budget Referendum passed. Seven Assessors were elected. The Special Referendum failed because, although the vote was 158 to approve and 101 to disapprove, approvals did not reach the required 50% of all eligible voters. You can see a summary of all three elections by clicking the link below.
Link: Nov. 8, 2023 Election Results summary
Detailed budget results will be posted within a week.
Thank you to all who voted, to those who helped with the count, the observers, and to the hardworking committee I have had the pleasure of working with this year, as well as the many neighbors who have served on the committee with me in many, many previous years,
— Cecilia Vore, outgoing chair, Registration Committee
New Castle County Reassessment by Tyler FAQ Brochure
Click this link for the FAQ brochure.
American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) New Round of Proposals!
We have about $45,000 more to spend and need to commit to spending it before the end of 2024! We have already approved funding $180,000 for four proposals in a Special Town Meeting on May 15, 2022, out of our allotted $219,925. Another round of proposals are being requested. The new deadline for submitting proposals is February 16, 2024. The proposals will be reviewed by the March Town Assembly. For more information about Arden and ARPA check out this link.
TRASH COLLECTION on TUESDAYS
Click this link for basic service information.
More links:
Trash Schedule for 2023 Is it yard waste or recycling this week?
Click here for October-November-December
Ardens Trash & Recycling flyer Click here Updated for 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 at work
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.
Governance Task Force link
Schroeder Trust Draft
The link below is a draft of the proposed trust for the remainder of the Schroeder bequest to the Village of Arden. As been discussed in several town meetings, the Village agreed to set up a Trust for the bequest as part of a settlement for the Mill Race Road lawsuit filed against the Village. This draft agreement was created with input from several open minutes and with guidance from the Village attorney. Please review this draft and if you have comments or concerns, please refer them to the Chair of the Town Assembly, Jeffrey Politis, at ardenchair@arden.delaware.gov. This will be a topic of discussion at a future town meeting Arden Schroeder Trust working group edits 6-26-23[3602]
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.”
Click this link to watch.
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 82.7%. 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.